Solve Weight & Free Fall on a Far-Away Planet - Astronaut Problem

AI Thread Summary
An astronaut on a distant planet is trying to determine the acceleration of a 5.80 kg rock, which weighs 40.0 N. The astronaut exerts an upward force of 43.3 N on the rock. The correct approach involves calculating the net force by considering the weight as a negative force, leading to a net force of 3.3 N. This net force divided by the mass gives an acceleration of approximately 0.57 m/s². Proper attention to the direction of forces and decimal precision is crucial for accurate results.
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Hey guys, I'm confused about this problem -

On a planet far, far away, an astronaut picks up a rock. The rock has a mass of 5.80 kg, and on this particular planet its weight is 40.0 N. If the astronaut exerts an upward force of 43.3 N on the rock, what is its acceleration?

I thought you just did a=1/m*Fnet. The mass is 5.8, and I thought Fnet would be 43.3n+40N but my answer is not coming out right. If anyone could help me out I'd really appreciate it!
 
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What about the direction of the forces? Fnet is a vector sum.
 
I wasn't sure about that, I thought maybe -40N because that's it's weight and then the +43.3N because it's being thrown upward but it keeps saying my answer is wrong.
 
You're right. It should be 3.3/5.8 ms^-2 (assuming the data is right). May be you didn't provide the answer to the required number of decimal places.
 
I got it, I think I may have forgotten to make the 40N negative or something...thanks so much!
 

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