What is the initial acceleration of a skater wearing steel-bladed skates?

Calculation using Newton's Second Law:

The initial acceleration of the skater can be found using Newton's second law of motion, which states that the acceleration of an object is equal to the net force acting on it divided by its mass.

Detailed Explanation:

The initial acceleration of the skater can be found using Newton's second law of motion, which states that the acceleration of an object is equal to the net force acting on it divided by its mass.

In this case, the total force exerted on the skater, F(tot), can be found by adding the magnitudes of the individual forces F1 and F2.

So, F(tot) = F1 + F2 = 26.4 N + 18.6 N = 45 N.

Since the skater is initially stationary, the net force acting on her is equal to the total force exerted on her. Therefore, the initial acceleration, a, is given by a = F(tot) / m, where m is the mass of the skater.

So, a = 45 N / 65.0 kg = 0.692 m/s^2.