A spring scale shows a net force of 0.8 N acting on a 1.5-kg mass. What happens to the acceleration of the object if the net force is decreased to 0.2 N? Remember F= M*A

Question

A spring scale shows a net force of 0.8 N acting on a 1.5-kg mass. What happens to the acceleration of the object if the net force is decreased to 0.2 N? Remember F= M*A

a
The acceleration decreases to a quarter of its original value, or about 2.13 m/s2.
b
The acceleration increases to four times its original value, or about 2.13 m/s2.
c
The acceleration increases to four times its original value, or about 0.13 m/s2.
d
The acceleration decreases to a quarter of its original value, or about 0.13 m/s2.

Answer 1

a. The acceleration decreases to a quarter of its original value, or about 2.13 m/s2. This can be calculated using the equation F=MA and solving for acceleration: A = F/M. When the net force is 0.8 N, A = 0.8/1.5 = 0.533 m/s2. When the net force is decreased to 0.2 N, A= 0.2/1.5 = 0.133 m/s2. The new acceleration is a quarter of the original acceleration.