Bob and John are pulling in different directions. If Bob is pulling to the right with a force of 10N, and John is pulling to the left with a force of 12N
What is the net force acting on the box?

What direction the box will move

If the mass of the box is 4kg, what is the acceleration of the box?

The net force on the box is 2 N to the left.

The box will move to the left.

The acceleration on the box is 0.5 m/s^2 to the left.

Explanation:

Let's say movement to the right is positive and left is negative.

Bob: +10 N

John: -12 N

Add those together and you get a net force of -2 N, and the negative sign means that the box is moving to the left.

For the acceleration:

Fnet = ma

-2 = (4 kg)a

a = -0.5 m/s^2

Again, the negative sign in this answer means the box is being accelerated to the left.