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Newton's Second Law and Airplanes Answers
  1. Write a formula that can be used to calculate the force due to weight. Force = mass x acceleration due to gravity
     
  2. Convert the mass of the airplane into kilograms. 317 kg (300 kg in significant figures)
  3. Now calculate the force due to weight on the Wright brothers' airplane.
    2 940 newtons ( 3106 N in sig figs)
  4. In order for their airplane to fly, the lift force must have exceeded: 3106 N
  5. The Wright brothers' airplane flew 120 feet in 12 seconds. Calculate its speed in feet per second. 10 ft/s
  6. Convert this speed to meters/second. 3 m/s
  7. If Orville had gained 5 kilograms before the flight, calculate what the lift force would have been. 2989 newtons ( 3155.6 N in sig figs)
  8. If the Wright brothers' airplane had weighed only 675 pounds, what would the lift force have been? 2998.8 newtons
  9. A Boeing 747 has a mass of 1,764,000 kg. What is the lift force required to get it off the ground? 1.73 x 107 N
  10. A Boeing 727 has a mass of 396,900 kg. What is the lift force required to get it off the ground? 3.89 x 10 6 N

 

Please send any comments to:
Curator: Tom.Benson@grc.nasa.gov
Responsible Official: Kathy.Zona@grc.nasa.gov