A student is investigating mass and acceleration. The student applies the same force to two boxes, as shown in the table.
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
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 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.
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.
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The argument that best supports the student's claim is: "Heavier objects need greater force than lighter objects to accelerate at the same rate."
The correct 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.
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."
To understand why this argument supports the student's claim, we need to consider Newton's second law of motion, which states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force applied to it and inversely proportional to its mass.
In this case, the student is applying the same force to both boxes. According to the argument, if box 1 has a smaller mass than box 2, it means that box 1 would require less force to start moving compared to box 2. This is because lighter objects have less inertia and are more responsive to smaller forces.
However, once both boxes are in motion, they will accelerate at the same rate. This is because the net force is the same for both boxes, but the mass of box 2 is larger, resulting in the same acceleration.
Therefore, the argument that lighter objects need less force than heavier objects to start moving but will accelerate at the same rate supports the student's claim that box 1 must have a smaller mass than box 2.