A hockey puck on nearly frictionless ice is simultaneously struck so that it…
PHYSICS · Single correct · A Level · Physics · Mechanics and materials · Mechanics and materials
Problem
A hockey puck on nearly frictionless ice is simultaneously struck so that it experiences two constant forces: 10N due east and 10N due north. Which statement best explains the direction of the puck’s subsequent acceleration?
(a) It undergoes circular motion because the two perpendicular constant forces continually turn it.
(b) It does not accelerate; the two forces have equal magnitudes and therefore cancel each other.
(c) It accelerates toward the northeast because the vector sum of the forces points in that direction.
(d) It accelerates first eastward and then northward because each force acts in its own direction in turn.