A cheetah has a mass of 60 kg. It produces a force of 480 N between its feet and the ground. What is its acceleration?

1. Break Down the Problem

To determine the acceleration of the cheetah, we will need to use Newton's second law of motion, which states that: $F = m \cdot a$ where:

• $F$ is the net force applied,
• $m$ is the mass of the object, and
• $a$ is the acceleration.

Here, we are given:

• Mass ($m$) = 60 kg
• Force ($F$) = 480 N

2. Relevant Concepts

According to Newton's second law: $a = \frac{F}{m}$ We will rearrange this formula to solve for acceleration.

3. Analysis and Detail

Now, we substitute the given values into the formula.

1. Calculate $a$: $a = \frac{480 \, \text{N}}{60 \, \text{kg}}$

4. Verify and Summarize

Now let's calculate: $a = \frac{480}{60} = 8 \, \text{m/s}^2$

Final Answer

The acceleration of the cheetah is $8 \, \text{m/s}^2$.