Question

The force exerted by the wind on a sailboat is approximately perpendicular to the sail and proportional to the component

Answer 1

Explanation:

The force exerted by the wind on a sailboat is approximately perpendicular to the sail and proportional to the component of the wind velocity perpendicular to the sail. For the 900 kg sailboat shown in Figure P4.54, the proportionality constant is given below.

F(sail) = 550V(wind)

Water exerts a force along the keel (bottom) of the boat that prevents it from moving sideways, as shown in the figure. Once the boat starts moving forward, water also exerts a drag force backwards on the boat, opposing the forward motion. If a 17 knot wind (1 knot = 0.514 m/s) is blowing to the east, what is the initial acceleration of the sailboat?