6)Which of Newton's laws would best explain what causes a basketball to bounce?
Third
7)Which of Newton's laws would best explain the whiplash caused by being rear-ended in a car accident?
First
To determine which of Newton's laws best explains certain phenomena, it is useful to understand the three laws of motion:
1) Newton's First Law (Law of Inertia): An object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion, unless acted upon by an external force.
2) Newton's Second Law (Law of Acceleration): The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the force applied to it and inversely proportional to its mass (F = ma).
3) Newton's Third Law (Law of Action-Reaction): For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Now, let's apply these laws to the questions:
6) The best explanation for what causes a basketball to bounce is Newton's Third Law. According to this law, when the basketball hits the ground, there is an action of the basketball pushing against the floor. In return, there is an equal and opposite reaction, with the floor pushing against the basketball. This reaction force from the floor causes the basketball to bounce back up.
7) The best explanation for the whiplash caused by being rear-ended in a car accident is Newton's First Law. The law states that an object at rest (the person's head) tends to stay at rest until acted upon by an external force (in this case, the impact of the collision). When a car is rear-ended, the person's head abruptly jerks backward due to the inertia of their body. Then, as the car comes to a sudden stop, the person's head continues to move forward until another force (e.g., seatbelt) acts upon it, causing the whiplash effect.