To determine the car's acceleration when a force is applied, you can use Newton's second law of motion, which is represented by the formula:
[tex]\[ F = ma \][/tex]
where:
- [tex]\( F \)[/tex] is the force applied to the object (in Newtons, N),
- [tex]\( m \)[/tex] is the mass of the object (in kilograms, kg),
- [tex]\( a \)[/tex] is the acceleration of the object (in meters per second squared, m/s²).
Given the values:
- Mass ([tex]\( m \)[/tex]) = 1200 kg
- Force ([tex]\( F \)[/tex]) = 600 N
We need to find the acceleration ([tex]\( a \)[/tex]). Rearrange the formula to solve for [tex]\( a \)[/tex]:
[tex]\[ a = \frac{F}{m} \][/tex]
Now, substitute the given values into the equation:
[tex]\[ a = \frac{600 \, \text{N}}{1200 \, \text{kg}} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ a = 0.5 \, \text{m/s}^2 \][/tex]
So, the acceleration of the car is [tex]\( 0.5 \, \text{m/s}^2 \)[/tex].
This matches the first option, which is [tex]\( 0.5 \, \text{m/s}^2 \)[/tex].
