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The acceleration of an object is the ratio of the net force that is exerted upon it to the mass of the object (see Formula Frenzy section). If given a free-body diagram with all the individual forces listed, the net force can be calculated by adding the forces as vectors. An up force would serve to cancel or partially cancel a down force. The mass can be calculated from the force of gravity (see Formula Frenzy section). So the best approach to this problem involves the following steps:
- Calculate the net force from the values of the individual forces.
- Calculate the mass from the value of the force of gravity.
- Calculated the acceleration as the ratio of net force to mass.
- Repeat for all four objects and then rank them accordingly.
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The relationship between net force (Fnet), mass (m) and acceleration (a) is expressed by the equation:
a = Fnet/ m
The mass of an object is mathematically related to its weight by the equation:
Weight = Fgrav= mass • g
where g is the acceleration caused by gravity alone. The value of g on Earth is 9.8 m/s/s (approximately 10 m/s/s).
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