Question

Equal force is applied to a baseball, a basketball, a tennis ball, and a bowling ball. Which ball will have the GREATEST acceleration according to Newton’s second law of motion? A a baseball B a tennis ball C a bowling ball D a basketball

Answer 1

according to newton's second law , net force on an object is equal to the product of its mass and its acceleration. the formula is given as

F = ma

where F = force , m = mass  , a  = acceleration

rearranging the equation for acceleration "a" , we get

a = F/m

when force F is kept constant , the acceleration is inversely related to the mass "m".  in other words, greater the mass , smaller will be the acceleration and smaller the mass, greater will be the acceleration.

the masses of baseball, basketball,  tennis ball and bowling ball can in arranged in increasing order as

tennis ball < baseball < basketball < bowling ball.

since acceleration and mass have inverse relation from the formula , the order of the acceleration will also be reverse.

tennis ball > baseball > basketball > bowling ball.

hence the tennis ball will have the greatest acceleration as it has the smallest mass.