a student is demonstrating acceleration by throwing two balls. she throws both balls using the same amount of force in the same direction. the first ball she throw has a mass of 0.25 kg and the second ball has a mass of 0.5 kg
A. the first ball has a smaller mass, so it will have less acceleration than the second ball
B. the first ball has a smaller mass, so it will have greater acceleration than the second ball
C. the balls will have equal acceleration because they are being thrown with the same force
D. the ball have equal acceleration because they are being thrown in the same direction
B. the first ball has a smaller mass, so it will have greater acceleration than the second ball.
The correct answer is A. The first ball has a smaller mass, so it will have less acceleration than the second ball.
Acceleration is directly proportional to force and inversely proportional to mass according to Newton's second law, which states that F = ma, where F is the force applied to an object, m is the mass of the object, and a is the acceleration.
Since both balls are thrown with the same force, the ball with less mass (the first ball) will experience a greater acceleration compared to the ball with more mass (the second ball). This is because the force is spread over a smaller mass, resulting in a greater acceleration.
To determine which of the given options is correct, we need to understand the relationship between mass and acceleration.
Acceleration is directly proportional to the force applied and inversely proportional to the mass of the object. This relationship is described by Newton's second law of motion, which states that the acceleration of an object is equal to the net force acting on the object divided by its mass (a = F/m).
In this scenario, both balls are thrown with the same amount of force in the same direction. The only difference is their mass: the first ball has a mass of 0.25 kg, while the second ball has a mass of 0.5 kg.
According to Newton's second law, when the same force is applied, the object with a smaller mass will experience more acceleration compared to the object with a larger mass. This means that the first ball (0.25 kg) will have more acceleration than the second ball (0.5 kg).
Therefore, the correct answer is:
B. The first ball has a smaller mass, so it will have greater acceleration than the second ball.