Eight reindeer, each with mass of 400kg, are attached to Santa's sleigh in four rows of two reindeer each. The last two reindeer, Donner and Blitzen, are attached to the reindeer in front of them and Santa's sleigh, with total mass 1200kg, behind them by their harnesses. On liftoff on Christmas Eve, the reindeer accelerate straight up from the North Pole at 5m/s^2. What is the force in Newtons the harness exerts on Santa's sleigh during sleigh liftoff?

Question

anonymous · Answer

You have 8 reindeer at 400kg each. The last two and the sleigh total to 1200kg, so the sleigh weighs 400kg and is going in the negative direction as it is being dragged by the reindeer. The reindeer total to a weight of 3200kg, so you have a net weight of 2800kg. Using the formula F=ma, you have F=2800kg(5.2)
The answer then would be 14,560 Newtons.