Boat Acceleration: Calculate Force, Mass & m/s^2

[krazykaci]

a boat moves through the water with 2 forces acting on it. one is a
2021N forward push by the motor on the propeller, and the other is an 1774N resistive force due to the water around the bow. What is the acceleration of the 1146kg boat? Answer in units of m/s^2.

would i use a=f/m for this problem?

 

[Fermat]

would i use a=f/m for this problem?

Yes.

You have the mass of the boat, m.
All you need to figure out is the net force on the boat, f, then use Newton's 2nd law to work out the acceleration, a.

 

[Astronuc]

Yes, where f would be the resultant of the two forces acting on the boat.

Take the right direction as (+), then if direction of F₁ is ' + ' and direction of F₂ is ' - ', and if |F₁| > |F₂|, then the boat accelerates to right in the + direction. (bold letter implies vector, which magnitude and direction.)