A sailing boat has a forward force of 300N from the wind in its sails. It is travelling at a constant speed. What is the total force acting backward on the sailing boat?

-300 N

Explanation:

The key words here are "constant speed". By this, we mean that all the forces on the object (the sailing boat here) are balanced - so they must be equal in magnitude.

Here, we know that the boat has a forward force of 300 N. Because the forces are balanced, then the backward force must also have a force with magnitude 300 N.

However, note that because the backward force is in the opposite direction as the forward force, we must put a negative sign on the 300. So our answer is: -300 N.

hammurabi rulers

good lesson

c. live where it’s cold and icy