A man with a mass of 120 kg sits on the lion's back. How much force is exerted downward on the ground by the lion with the man on his back? How much downward force does the lion feel on his back from the man?

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Answer 1 · 2015-10-01T22:14:46

The downward force exerted by the lion with the man on his back is #-3200"N"#. The lion feels #-1200 "N"# on its back from the man.

I will use the mass of the lion as 210 kg from a previous related question.

Downward force, or weight #("W")# felt by the lion from the man on his back.

Known/Given
#m_"lion"=210"kg"#
#m_"man"=120"kg"#
#m_"total"=330"kg"#
#"F"_"net"="W"=mg"#
#g=-9.81"m/s"^2#

Unknown:
#"W"_"man+lion"#

Equation:
#"W"_"man+lion"=mg"#

Solution:
#"W"=330"kg"xx-9.81"m/s"^2=-3234"N"=-3200"N"# with two significant figures.

Force of man exerted on the back of the lion.
#"W"=120"kgxx-9.8"m/s"^2=-1177.2"N"=-1200"N"# with two significant figures.