The discussion revolves around calculating mass from a force exerted by a book on a desk, specifically when acceleration is zero. The problem is situated within the context of Newton's laws of motion.
The discussion is active, with participants exploring different interpretations of the problem. Some guidance has been offered regarding the relevance of free body diagrams and the implications of zero acceleration on the forces acting on the book.
Participants are navigating the constraints of the problem, particularly the assumption that the acceleration is zero and how that affects the calculation of mass from force.
Really? What is the acceleration due to gravity?TheOGBacon said:I tried using the acceleration formula, but that only added more variables.
That's the one you quoted in post #1, right?TheOGBacon said:meant I tried using the acceleration formula
A somewhat different route to get there: When in doubt, always start with a free body diagram.TheOGBacon said:I meant I tried using the acceleration formula to get an expression that I could plug in for my force equation.