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A force acts for 20 s on a body of mass 20 kg, starting from rest, after which the force ceases and then body describes 50 m in the next 10 s. The value of force will be

Asked in JEE Main 29th Jan 2nd Shift 2023 · Applying the second law and free-body diagrams

Answer: (4) 5 N

Step-by-step solution

Idea: once the force stops the body coasts at constant speed, so the second stretch hands you the speed it had reached.

Constant-velocity phase: v=(50)/(10)=5 m/s.

That is the speed at the end of the accelerated phase, which started from rest and lasted 20 s:

a=(v-0)/t=5/(20)=0.25 m/s².

F=ma=20×0.25=5 N.

The 50 m is deliberately placed after the force ceases; used as an accelerated distance it gives a quite different answer.

Why the other options are wrong

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