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 mass.
The 500-gram rock causes a larger splash because it has more kinetic energy.
To determine which statement about the investigation is accurate, we need to consider the factors that affect the size of the splash. The size of the splash is determined by the amount of kinetic energy transferred from the falling object to the water.
Kinetic energy is directly proportional to both the mass and the velocity (speed) of an object. So, to compare the kinetic energy between the two rocks, we need to consider both their masses and their velocities.
In this scenario, both rocks are dropped from the same height of 8 meters, which means they will have the same gravitational potential energy. The gravitational potential energy gets converted into kinetic energy as the rocks fall.
Since the mass of the 500-gram rock is greater than the mass of the 350-gram rock, and they are falling from the same height, both rocks will have the same velocity just before they hit the water.
Therefore, the 500-gram rock will have more kinetic energy due to its greater mass.
Based on this analysis, the accurate statement about the investigation is:
The 500-gram rock causes a larger splash because it has more kinetic energy.