How would I go about this problem?
What is the magnitude and direction of the gravitational force that acts on a person that weighs 700 Newton on the surface of the earth?
Please help. Thanks.
2007-03-25 11:57:16 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Direction is down... gravitational force is always mg. Mass times gravity. Whats funny is this is a trick question. The 700 newtons force means his mass it 700/g. Plug that into mg and you get (700/g)(g) = 700 lol. Direction down, force, 700 newtons.
2007-03-25 13:24:05 · answer #1 · answered by TadaceAce 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think I understand your confusion. Usually, we say that somebody weighs X kilogams or pounds, not Newtons.
So here is what 700 Newtons means:
F = ma
were m is the mass in kilograms
and a (acceleration) is Earth's gravity, g, which is about 10 m/s²
So if the person weighs 700 Newtons, then
F = 700 newtons = mg
This means the person weighs about 70 kilograms or 154 lbs.
The direction of the gravitational force is of course downwards towards the ground.
2007-03-25 12:11:53 · answer #2 · answered by PhysicsDude 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The magnitude of the gravitational force (weight) is 700 Newtons directed toward the center of the Earth.
Weight is NEVER measured in kilograms, which is a unit of mass.
2007-03-25 12:19:27 · answer #3 · answered by msi_cord 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The force is 700 newtons and it is directed downwards towards the center of the earth. Just dig a hole under the person and you will find that out.
2007-03-25 12:00:53 · answer #4 · answered by cattbarf 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's not really a problem. It's identifying what's there.
The magnitude of the gravitational force is 700N. The direction is downward.
2007-03-25 12:01:32 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋