A particle P of mass 0.4 kg is moving under the action of a constant force F newtons - Edexcel - A-Level Maths Mechanics - Question 3 - 2003 - Paper 1

To find the acceleration of particle P, we can use the formula:

$a = \frac{\Delta v}{\Delta t}$

First, we need to calculate the change in velocity, (\Delta v). The initial velocity, (v_i), is:

$v_i = 6i - 2j \text{ m s}^{-1}$

The final velocity, (v_f), after 4 seconds is:

$v_f = -4i + 2j \text{ m s}^{-1}$

Now, we can find the change in velocity:

$\Delta v = v_f - v_i = (-4i + 2j) - (6i - 2j)$

$\Delta v = -10i + 4j \text{ m s}^{-1}$

Since the time interval (\Delta t = 4) s, we can now find the acceleration:

$a = \frac{-10i + 4j}{4} = -2.5i + 1j \text{ m s}^{-2}$. This is the acceleration of particle P.