A teacher is demonstrating acceleration to his class by throwing two balls. He throws both balls using the same amount of force in the same direction. The first ball he throws has a mass of 0.1 kg and the second ball has a mass of 0.5 kg. Explain why.
Responses
The balls will have equal acceleration because they are being thrown with the same force.
The balls will have equal acceleration because they are being thrown with the same force.
The first ball has a smaller mass, so it will have less acceleration than the second ball.
The first ball has a smaller mass, so it will have less acceleration than the second ball.
The balls will have equal acceleration because they are being thrown in the same direction.
The balls will have equal acceleration because they are being thrown in the same direction.
The first ball has a smaller mass, so it will have greater acceleration than the second ball.
The first response is incorrect. The mass of an object does not affect its acceleration if the same force is applied to it.
The second response is correct. According to Newton's second law of motion, the acceleration of an object is inversely proportional to its mass. Therefore, the first ball with a smaller mass will have less acceleration compared to the second ball.
The third response is incorrect. The direction in which the balls are thrown does not affect their acceleration. Acceleration is determined by the force applied to an object, not its direction.
The fourth response is incorrect. The first ball with a smaller mass will have less acceleration compared to the second ball according to Newton's second law.
a b c or d
Based on the explanations provided, the correct answer would be:
b) The first ball has a smaller mass, so it will have less acceleration than the second ball.