A marine engineer is testing the propulsion system of a newly designed Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) in a test tank.
In the first trial, under a constant horizontal thrust, three independent sensors measure the horizontal acceleration of the ROV. The recorded values are:
0.84 m/s2,0.89 m/s2,0.82 m/s2 0.84 \text{ m/s}^2, \quad 0.89 \text{ m/s}^2, \quad 0.82 \text{ m/s}^2 0.84 m/s2,0.89 m/s2,0.82 m/s2Calculate the mean acceleration of the ROV.
In a second trial, the ROV is loaded with scientific instruments so that its total mass is 45.5 kg45.5 \text{ kg}45.5 kg. It is observed to accelerate vertically upwards at 0.64 m/s20.64 \text{ m/s}^20.64 m/s2.
Calculate the magnitude of the resultant vertical force acting on the ROV. Use the equation:
resultant force=mass×acceleration \text{resultant force} = \text{mass} \times \text{acceleration} resultant force=mass×acceleration