What is the acceleration of a 1 kg mass if a net force of 3 N acts on it?

What is the acceleration of a 1 kg mass if a net force of 3 N acts on it?

• A. a = 1 m/s^2.
• B. a = 3 m/s^2.
• C. a = 0.5 m/s^2.
• D. a = 9 m/s^2.

Answer: (B)

Newton's second law says acceleration equals the net force divided by the mass. With a net force of 3 N on a 1 kg mass, the acceleration is a = F_net / m = 3 N / 1 kg = 3 m/s^2, acting in the direction of the net force. For context, a smaller net force would give smaller acceleration (e.g., 1 N on 1 kg gives 1 m/s^2), and an acceleration of 9 m/s^2 would correspond to gravity acting on a 1 kg mass in free fall, not the given 3 N net force.

Newton's second law says acceleration equals the net force divided by the mass. With a net force of 3 N on a 1 kg mass, the acceleration is a = F_net / m = 3 N / 1 kg = 3 m/s^2, acting in the direction of the net force.

For context, a smaller net force would give smaller acceleration (e.g., 1 N on 1 kg gives 1 m/s^2), and an acceleration of 9 m/s^2 would correspond to gravity acting on a 1 kg mass in free fall, not the given 3 N net force.