A force F acts in the forward direction on a cart of mass m. A friction force ff opposes this motion. Part A Use Newton's second law and express the acceleration of the cart. Express your answer in terms of the variables F, f, and m.

a = F-ff/m

Explanation:

According to Newton's second law of motion which states that "the rate of change in momentum of a body is directly proportional to the applied force F and acts in the direction of the force.

Mathematically;

F = ma

Since two forces acts on the cart i. e the moving force F and the frictional force Ff, we will take the sum of the forces.

∑F = ma where

m is the mass of the cart

a is its acceleration

∑F = F + (-ff) (since frictional force is an opposing force)

F - ff = ma

Dividing both sides by mass m

a = F-ff/m