Interpret the slope of a velocity^2 vs work graph. What do you think will happen to the slope of the graph if the system mass is increased?
The slope of a velocity^2 vs work graph represents the reciprocal of the mass of the system. In other words, the slope is a measure of the inverse of the system mass.
If the system mass is increased, the slope of the graph will decrease. This is because an increase in mass will result in a higher denominator, reducing the overall value of the reciprocal and consequently decreasing the slope.
In simpler terms, as the mass of the system increases, it becomes more difficult to accelerate it, resulting in a decrease in the amount of work done to increase its velocity^2. Therefore, the slope of the graph decreases.