Question

Force question - I don't even understand what they're asking.

Answer 1

See attached for the question. I hope someone can help me THINK through this.

Answer 2

The acceleration will be the net force divided by the mass,
a = Fo - f(x) , where f(x) is the friction

a = dv/dt = (dv/dx)(dx/dt) by the chain rule and dx/dt=v

I would find the velocity by finding the kinetic energy (1/2)mv^2,

which is Fo times the distance minus the integral of the frictional force times the distance.

(1/2)m v^2 = integral [Fo-f(x)]dx