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Two water-skiers, with masses of 48 kg and 61 kg, are preparing to be towed behind the same boat. When the boat accelerates, the rope the skiers hold onto accelerates with it and exerts a net force of 290 N on the skiers. At what rate will the skiers accelerate?
1. $10.8 \textrm{ m/s}^2$
2. $2.7 \textrm{ m/s}^2$
3. $6.0\textrm{ m/s}^2$ and $4.8 \textrm{ m/s}^2$
4. $5.3 \textrm{ m/s}^2$
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Solution Video

# OpenStax College Physics for AP® Courses Solution, Chapter 4, Problem 14 (Test Prep for AP® Courses) (0:40)

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This is College Physics Answers with Shaun Dychko. A single rope is attached to two different water skiers and this rope is exerting a total force of 290 newtons in the direction of the boat. The total mass of the skiers is 48 plus 61 kilograms. The acceleration will be the rearrangement of Newton's second law here where we divide both sides by m. The calibration will be this net force. We're assuming that the water has no resistance divided by the total mass which is 2.66 meters per second squared. That is answer B.