Calculating Acceleration of a Ship with Tugboats | Constant Velocity Problem

AI Thread Summary
A tanker ship with a mass of 10,000 kg is subjected to a net force of 10,464 kN from two tugboats while moving at constant velocity. The acceleration is calculated using the formula a = F/m, leading to an initial result of 1,046.4 m/s², which is deemed incorrect. Participants in the discussion identify that the force should be converted from kilonewtons to newtons, revealing a potential error in the initial calculation. The correct unit for acceleration is confirmed to be meters per second squared (m/s²). The conversation highlights the importance of unit conversion in physics problems.
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Homework Statement



A tanker ship with a mass of 10000Kg is moving with constant velocity into a harbour. Two tugboats interact with the front of the boat with a net force of 10464KN, what acceleration does it undergo?


Homework Equations



a=F/m


The Attempt at a Solution



a=10464000/10000
=1046.4 ms? This sounds pretty wrong to me, I don't even know if this is the right formula to use
 
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welcome to the PF.

F=ma
a=F/m
what you missed i think are both quantities are in kilo versions
 
Whoops! thanks for that denverdoc.
 
denverdoc said:
welcome to the PF.

F=ma
a=F/m
what you missed i think are both quantities are in kilo versions

The Kilogram is the standard unit of measure for mass in the SI system. It looks right to me the only correction I think I have to make is that acceleration is measure in meters per second squared, m/s2.
 
youre right. I think it is a book error or transcriptional error, but figured the result was off by a factor of 1000.
 

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