Howard doesn't Move
Pro Problems > Physics > Motion and Forces > Linear Motion > ForceHoward doesn't Move
Howard is standing in the middle of a skating rink (we'll assume no friction), and his four friends Alice, Bernie, Christopher, and David approach him from each of the four compass directions - north, east, south, and west, respectively.
Alice pushes on Howard with a force of x + 20 Newtons. Bernie pushes on him with a force of 2x + y Newtons. Christopher pushes on him with a force of 2x - y Newtons, and David pushes with a force of 5y Newtons.
Howard, though being pushed from all directions, does not move. Calculate the forces being applied in all four directions.
Solution
In order to make it feasible for teachers to use these problems in their classwork, no solutions are publicly visible, so students cannot simply look up the answers. If you would like to view the solutions to these problems, you must have a Virtual Classroom subscription.Similar Problems
Sledding in the Wind
A 50 kg sled starts at rest, and is being pushed across a horizontal frictionless surface with a force of 30 N. The wind is pushing against the sled. The sled travels 100 meters while accelerating to 10 m/s. What is the force of the wind on the sled?
Accelerating Car
Moving a Box
Jamal is pulling a 4,900 N box with a force of 500 N. Jakob is pulling in the opposite direction with a force of 350 N. How fast will the box be moving after 5 seconds?
Car with Passengers
A car accelerates from 10 m/s to 50 m/s while traveling 400 m. The mass of the car is 1500 kg. What force was applied to the car?
Four passengers with mass 85 kg apiece are added to the problem above, how much would that change the force required?
M1 and M2
A mass, m1, accelerates at 3 m/s2 when a force, F, is applied. A second mass, m2, accelerates at 1.0 m/s2 when F is applied to it.
- Find the value of the ratio m1/m2.
- Find the acceleration of the combined mass ( m1 + m2) under the action of the force, F.
Force and Friction on a Crate
If the coefficient of kinetic friction between a 35 kg crate and the floor is .30, what horizontal force is required to move the crate at a steady speed across the floor? What horizontal force is required if µk is zero?
Tractor on a Flatbed
A 6000 kg tractor rests on a flatbed, held in place by chains. The chains provide a maximum horizontal force of 8000 N. When the flatbed is traveling 20 m/s, what is the minimum stopping distance if the chains are not to break?
Car and Motorcycle
A force is applied to a 1000 kg car, and causes the car to accelerate from 0 m/s to 25 m/s while traveling 200 m. The same force is applied to a 600kg motorcycle. How far will the motorcycle travel while accelerating from 10 m/s to 40 m/s?
Out of Control Elevator
An elevator has a mass of 2,000 kg. An upward force of 21,000 Newtons is applied to the elevator. The elevator travels up 50 floors, and each floor is 2.5 meters tall, with a 20 centimeter gap between floors. How long does it take the elevator to arrive, and at what speed will it be traveling?
Force on Two Objects
If a force accelerates 4.5 kg at 40 m/s2, that same force would accelerate 18 kg by how much?