A small puck of unknown mass rests on a smooth horizontal air track

PHYSICS · Multi-part · ISC · Physics · Kinematics · Kinematics

Problem

A small puck of unknown mass rests on a smooth horizontal air track. Starting from rest at t=0t = 0, it is subjected to a time-dependent horizontal force F(t)=0.12t2 NF(t) = 0.12 t^{2}\,\text{N}, where tt is in seconds. After 5.0 s5.0\,\text{s}, the speed of the puck is measured to be 3.0 m s−13.0\,\text{m\,s}^{-1}. (i) Express the instantaneous acceleration of the puck as a function of time. (ii) Derive an expression for the speed v(t)v(t) of the puck as a function of time, taking the initial speed to be zero. (iii) Using the measured speed at t=5.0 st = 5.0\,\text{s}, determine the inertial mass of the puck.

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