Ace the StraighterLine Physics Challenge 2025 – Discover the Force Within You!

To determine the mass of the vase from the normal force exerted by the table, you can apply the relationship between weight, mass, and gravitational acceleration. In physics, the normal force in a stationary object resting on a flat surface, such as a table, is equal to the weight of the object when the only force acting vertically is gravity.

The weight \( W \) of an object is defined as:

\[ W = m \cdot g \]

where \( m \) is the mass of the object and \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity, approximately \( 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \) on Earth. Since the normal force is equal to the weight when there are no other vertical forces acting on the vase, you can set the normal force equal to the weight of the vase:

\[ N = W \]

\[ 35 \, \text{N} = m \cdot 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \]

To find the mass \( m \), you can rearrange the equation:

\[ m = \frac{N}{g} \]

Plugging in the values:

\[ m = \frac{35 \