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Water exerts a force along the keel (bottom) of the boat that prevents it from m

ID: 2126455 • Letter: W

Question


Water exerts a force along the keel (bottom) of the boat that prevents it from moving sideways, as shown in the figure. Once the boat starts moving forward, water also exerts a drag force backwards on the boat, opposing the forward motion. If a 20-knot wind (1 knot = 0.514 m/s) is blowing to the east, what is the initial acceleration of the sailboat?


In m/s^2


Water exerts a force along the keel (bottom) of the boat that prevents it from moving sideways, as shown in the figure. Once the boat starts moving forward, water also exerts a drag force backwards on the boat, opposing the forward motion. If a 20-knot wind (1 knot = 0.514 m/s) is blowing to the east, what is the initial acceleration of the sailboat? In m/s^2

Explanation / Answer

the force exerted by the wind on sailboat is

F = 550 N/m/s x v_wind

where v_wind = 20 x 0.514 m/s

the mass of the sailboat is m = 870 kg

let a be the acceleration of sailboat

we know that

F = m x a

or a = (F/m)