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Calculating Force
Sir Isaac Newton expressed the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration in his second law. Newton’s
contribution to science was so great that the unit for force, the Newton (N), was named after him. A Newton is defined as
the force needed to produce an acceleration of 1 m/s2 on a 1 kg object. Therefore, 1 N = 1 kg x 1 m/s2. The equation for
Newton’s second law is given below. Your answers should be to the tenths place and boxed.
Force = mass x acceleration
or
F = ma
1) Draw Formula Triangle for Force.
2) Write out Equation using variable and units to show what you are solving for. Are your units with
the correct variable?
3) Substitute in number values and solve for the unknown variable.
4) Write your answer with units and put a box around it.
1. A soccer ball accelerates at a rate of 22 m/s2 forward when kicked by a player. The soccer ball has a
mass of 0.5 kg. How much force was applied to the ball to produce this acceleration?
m =
a =
2. Calculate the force necessary to accelerate the following vehicles at the rate of acceleration shown in the
illustrations.
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3. How much force is needed to move a 0.1 kg snowball at a rate of 15 m/s2 upward?
4. A 0.02 N push accelerates a table-tennis ball along a table at 8 m/s2 north. What is the mass of the ball?
5. At lift-off, an astronaut on the space shuttle experiences an acceleration of approximately 35 m/s2
upward. What force does an 80 kg astronaut experience during this acceleration?
6. If a 2 kg bird is pushed by the wind with a force of 2 N, how fast does the bird accelerate?
7. A car has a mass of 700 kg and is accelerating at 2 m/s2. Calculate the unbalanced force that is causing
this acceleration.
8. A truck has a mass of 2000 kg and the engine has a driving force of 3000 N. Calculate the acceleration
that caused the unbalanced force.
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9. How much force is needed to accelerate a 70 kg rider and her 200 kg motorcycle at 4 m/s2?
10. A 63 kg skater pushes off from a wall with a force of 300 N. What is the skater’s acceleration?
11. With what force will a car hit a street sign if the car has a mass of 2,800 kg and it is accelerating at a rate
of 2 m / s2 ?
12. A 12 kg bowling ball would require what force to accelerate it down a lane at a rate of 3 m / s2 ?
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13. What is the mass of a falling rock if it hits the ground with a force of 147 newtons? Gravity(g) is
acceleration. g = 9.8 m/s2
14. What is the acceleration of a baseball if it ha a mass of 0.50 kg and hits the catcher’s glove with a force
of 30 newtons?
15. What is the mass of a car if it is accelerating at a rate of 4 m / s2 and hits a parked truck with a force of
12,000 newtons?
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