In a football game, a defensive lineman exerts a force upon an offensive lineman, causing the offensive lineman to be accelerated backward at 2 m/s2. If the offensive lineman's mass were doubled, how much force would the defensive lineman have to apply to accelerate the offensive lineman 2 m/s2 backward?
A.
half as much
B.
twice as much
C.
the same amount
D.
four times as much
The force required to accelerate an object is calculated using Newton's second law of motion, which states that force (F) is equal to mass (m) multiplied by acceleration (a), or F = m*a.
In this case, the force applied by the defensive lineman is causing the acceleration of the offensive lineman. If the offensive lineman's mass is doubled, the force required to accelerate them at the same rate will also need to be doubled, because force is directly proportional to mass.
Therefore, the correct answer is B. twice as much.