A force of 100 N is applied to stop a moving bicycle with a mass of 20 kg. If the bicycle comes to a stop in 5 seconds, what is the deceleration?

To solve this problem, we need to use Newton's second law of motion, which states that the force applied to an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration (or in this case, deceleration). The formula is F = ma.

1. First, we need to identify the given values. The force (F) is 100 N, the mass (m) is 20 kg, and the time (t) is 5 seconds.

2. We are asked to find the deceleration (a), which is the change in velocity per unit of time. Since the bicycle comes to a stop, the final velocity (v) is 0.

3. We can rearrange the formula to solve for a: a = F/m.

4. Substituting the given values into the formula gives us a = 100 N / 20 kg = 5 m/s².

5. However, since this is a deceleration (the bicycle is slowing down), we take the negative of this value. So, the deceleration of the bicycle is -5 m/s².