A student pulls a 2.0-kg object to the left with a force of 30 N, while another student is pulling against the object in the opposite direction with a force of 20 N. What is the acceleration of the object?

5 m/s2, left

5 m/s2, right

20 m/s2, left

20 m/s2, right

5 m/s2, left

Explanation:

We can solve the problem by applying Newton's second law of motion, which  states that:

where:

is the net force acting on an object

m is the mass of the object

a is its acceleration

In this problem, we have:

(to the left) is the net force on the object

m = 2.0 kg is the mass

So, the acceleration is:

in the same direction as the force (left).