To determine the acceleration of the book, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states:
[tex]\[ F = ma \][/tex]
where:
- [tex]\( F \)[/tex] is the force applied
- [tex]\( m \)[/tex] is the mass of the object
- [tex]\( a \)[/tex] is the acceleration
We need to rearrange the formula to solve for acceleration ([tex]\( a \)[/tex]):
[tex]\[ a = \frac{F}{m} \][/tex]
Given:
- The mass of the book [tex]\( m \)[/tex] is 0.5 kilograms
- The force applied [tex]\( F \)[/tex] is 20 newtons
Substitute these values into the formula:
[tex]\[ a = \frac{20 \, \text{N}}{0.5 \, \text{kg}} \][/tex]
Dividing the force by the mass:
[tex]\[ a = 40 \, \text{m/s}^2 \][/tex]
Therefore, the acceleration of the book is:
[tex]\[ \boxed{40 \, \text{m/s}^2} \][/tex]
So the correct answer is:
D. [tex]\( 40 \, \text{m/s}^2 \)[/tex]
