A gardener uses a wheelbarrow to move soil from a truck to his garden. On the first trip from the truck to the garden, the wheelbarrow is half-full of soil and the gardener applies a certain force to cause it to accelerate. On the second trip, the wheelbarrow is full of soil. Although the gardener applies the same amount of force to the wheelbarrow, he cannot move it with the same rate of acceleration. What should the gardener do to move the wheelbarrow at the same rate of acceleration for the second trip?

Question

A gardener uses a wheelbarrow to move soil from a truck to his garden. On the first trip from the truck to the garden, the wheelbarrow is half-full of soil and the gardener applies a certain force to cause it to accelerate. On the second trip, the wheelbarrow is full of soil. Although the gardener applies the same amount of force to the wheelbarrow, he cannot move it with the same rate of acceleration. What should the gardener do to move the wheelbarrow at the same rate of acceleration for the second trip?

A.
keep the amount of soil the same and apply less force
B.
reduce the amount of soil by one-quarter and apply the same amount of force
C.
double the amount of soil, and apply less force
D.
reduce the amount of soil by one-half and apply the same amount of force

Answer 1

The correct answer is D. reduce the amount of soil by one-half and apply the same amount of force.

This is because the rate of acceleration is determined by the force applied divided by the mass of the object being moved. When the wheelbarrow is full of soil, it has a greater mass than when it is half-full. Therefore, to maintain the same rate of acceleration, the gardener should reduce the amount of soil by one-half and apply the same amount of force.