A student is investigating mass and acceleration. The student applies the same force of 40 N force to two boxes that have the same size and shape. Box 1 experiences an acceleration of 10 m/s^2 and box 2 experiences an acceleration of 5m/s^2.
The student claims that box 1 must have a smaller mass than box 2. Which argument best supports the student's claim?(1 point)
Responses
Lighter objects need greater force than heavier objects to start moving but will accelerate at the same rate.
Lighter objects need greater force than heavier objects to start moving but will accelerate at the same rate.
Heavier objects need greater force than lighter objects to accelerate at the same rate.
Heavier objects need greater force than lighter objects to accelerate at the same rate.
Lighter objects need less force than heavier objects to start moving but will accelerate at the same rate.
Lighter objects need less force than heavier objects to start moving but will accelerate at the same rate.
Heavier objects need less force than lighter objects to accelerate at the same rate.
Heavier objects need less force than lighter objects to accelerate at the same rate.
The argument that best supports the student's claim is: Lighter objects need less force than heavier objects to start moving but will accelerate at the same rate.
The best argument that supports the student's claim is that lighter objects need less force than heavier objects to start moving but will accelerate at the same rate.
The best argument that supports the student's claim is: Lighter objects need less force than heavier objects to start moving but will accelerate at the same rate.
Explanation:
To understand why this argument supports the claim, we need to recall Newton's second law of motion, which states that the force acting on an object is directly proportional to its acceleration and inversely proportional to its mass. The equation representing this law is F = ma, where F is the force acting on the object, m is its mass, and a is its acceleration.
In this scenario, both boxes have the same size and shape, so their shape and structural characteristics should not affect the force required to move them. As mentioned, the student applies the same force of 40 N to both boxes.
According to the claim, Box 1 experiences an acceleration of 10 m/s^2, which means that its mass must be lesser compared to Box 2. If the boxes had the same mass, applying the same force to both would result in the same acceleration. However, since Box 1 has a higher acceleration with the same force, its mass must be smaller.
Therefore, the argument that "Lighter objects need less force than heavier objects to start moving but will accelerate at the same rate" best supports the student's claim.