Mission control needs the cart to coast through the docking gate at the right speed. Choose the driving force, the friction working against it and the mass, then launch. The push alone does not set the acceleration: subtract friction first to get the resultant, then a = resultant divided by mass. The gate speed obeys v = the square root of (2 a d), so a heavier cart or more friction means a gentler arrival.
MissionDock at 9.4 to 10.2 m/s after 12 m of track.Round 1Streak 0Best 0
Predict the docking:
resultant force20 N
acceleration a4.0 m/s²
predicted gate speed9.8 m/s
live velocity0.0 m/s
F = 30 − 10 = 20 N · a = 20 ÷ 5.0 = 4.0 m/s² · v = √(2 · 4.0 · 12)