A force is applied to an atom....

AI Thread Summary
Applying a force to an atom allows for the measurement of its mass through the relationship defined by Newton's second law, F=ma. To determine mass, one must measure the force applied and the resulting acceleration of the atom. A spectrometer is mentioned as a tool for measuring atomic mass, but the discussion focuses on the fundamental physics principles without delving into complex equations. The connection between the applied force and mass is clarified through the understanding of how acceleration relates to these quantities. Overall, the discussion emphasizes the practical application of basic physics concepts in measuring atomic mass.
motleycat
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1. A force is applied to an atom. What can be measured to determine the atom's mass? Explain your answer.2. No equations since this is a no-science physics course.3. I don't understand how part 1 is relating to part 2 of the question. As far as I know a spectrometer is used to determine an atom's mass.
 
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What are part 1 and 2?

Do you know some equation that relates forces and masses with some other quantity?
 
Hi and thank you for your reply!
mfb said:
What are part 1 and 2?

Part 1=A force is applied to an atom.
Part 2=What can be measured to determine the atom's mass?

Do you know some equation that relates forces and masses with some other quantity

I guess F=ma is one.
 
Correct. So in order to determine the mass one need to measure the other two quantities in the equation
and then calculate the mass using this equation. This equation is known as Newton's second law and it
relates the acceleration of an object to the force applied to it.
 

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