A net force of 9 N upward acts on an object with mass 3 kg. What is the acceleration?

A net force of 9 N upward acts on an object with mass 3 kg. What is the acceleration?

• A. 3 m/s^2 upward
• B. 3 m/s^2 downward
• C. 0 m/s^2
• D. 12 m/s^2 upward

Answer: (A)

Acceleration comes from the net force acting on an object and points in the same direction as that net force. According to Newton’s second law, a = F_net / m. Here, the net force is 9 N upward and the mass is 3 kg, so a = 9 / 3 = 3 m/s^2 upward. The other scenarios would require different net forces: downward would mean the force is downward, zero acceleration would mean no net force, and 12 m/s^2 upward would need a net force of 36 N.

Acceleration comes from the net force acting on an object and points in the same direction as that net force. According to Newton’s second law, a = F_net / m. Here, the net force is 9 N upward and the mass is 3 kg, so a = 9 / 3 = 3 m/s^2 upward. The other scenarios would require different net forces: downward would mean the force is downward, zero acceleration would mean no net force, and 12 m/s^2 upward would need a net force of 36 N.