A balloonist drops an apple weighing 1.5N over the side of the balloon's gondola. As it falls and increases speed, the drag force from the air upward on it increases. When the upward force is 0.7N, what is the direction and magnitude of the net force on the apple?

I'm not sure what to do with the 1.5N weight of the apple. Should I convert it to mass using its assumed weight on earth?

Question

Physics

Harding

14 August, 15:31

A balloonist drops an apple weighing 1.5N over the side of the balloon's gondola. As it falls and increases speed, the drag force from the air upward on it increases. When the upward force is 0.7N, what is the direction and magnitude of the net force on the apple?

I'm not sure what to do with the 1.5N weight of the apple. Should I convert it to mass using its assumed weight on earth?

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Answers (1)

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Mark · Answer 1

You do not have to calculate the mass. You have to work with the weight: 1.5 N.

There are two forces acting over the apple: 1. 5 N downward, and the drag force, which is upward (opposite to the movement).

When the drag force is 0.7 N, the net force is 1.5N - 0.7N = 0.8N, downward