A student drops a 350-gram rock and a 500-gram rock into a pool from a height of 8 meters. Which statement about the investigation is accurate?(1 point)
Responses
The 350-gram rock causes a smaller splash because it has more kinetic energy.
The 350-gram rock causes a smaller splash because it has more kinetic energy.
The 350-gram rock causes a larger splash because it has less mass.
The 350-gram rock causes a larger splash because it has less mass.
The 500-gram rock causes a smaller splash because it has more mass.
The 500-gram rock causes a smaller splash because it has more mass.
The 500-gram rock causes a larger splash because it has more kinetic energy.
The correct statement is: The 500-gram rock causes a larger splash because it has more kinetic energy.
The 500-gram rock causes a larger splash because it has more kinetic energy.
To determine which statement about the investigation is accurate, we can use the principle of conservation of energy.
The potential energy of an object at a certain height is given by the equation PE = mgh, where m is the mass of the object, g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s^2), and h is the height.
When the objects are dropped, their potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. The kinetic energy of an object is given by the equation KE = (1/2)mv^2, where m is the mass of the object and v is its velocity.
Comparing the two rocks, both are being dropped from the same height of 8 meters. Therefore, their potential energy at the start of the drop is the same.
For the 350-gram rock (0.35 kg), its potential energy can be calculated as PE = (0.35 kg)(9.8 m/s^2)(8 m) = 27.44 J.
For the 500-gram rock (0.5 kg), its potential energy can be calculated as PE = (0.5 kg)(9.8 m/s^2)(8 m) = 39.2 J.
Since the potential energy is the same for both rocks, the amount of energy that can be converted to kinetic energy is the same as well.
However, the kinetic energy of an object is also dependent on its mass and velocity. Given that the 500-gram rock has a greater mass than the 350-gram rock, it means that the 500-gram rock will have a smaller velocity compared to the 350-gram rock, assuming that the kinetic energy remains the same.
Using the equation KE = (1/2)mv^2, we can see that for the same kinetic energy, a larger mass will result in a smaller velocity.
Since the velocity of the 500-gram rock is smaller than the velocity of the 350-gram rock, it means that the 500-gram rock will cause a smaller splash.
Therefore, the accurate statement about the investigation is:
The 500-gram rock causes a smaller splash because it has more mass.