Question

Write a hypothesis about how the force applied to a cart affects the acceleration of the cart. Use the "if . . . then . . .because . . .” format and be sure to answer the lesson question: "How do force and mass affect the acceleration of an object?”

Answer 1

Answer:

"If the force applied to a cart is increased, then the acceleration of the cart increases, because acceleration is directly proportional to the force applied. If the mass of the cart is increased, then the acceleration decreases, because acceleration is inversely proportional to the mass."

Explanation:

This sentence can be explained by Newton's second law:

$F=ma$

where

F is the net force acting on the cart

m is the mass of the cart

a is the acceleration of the cart

We can re-write it solving for a:

$a=\frac{F}{m}$

this way, we see that:

- acceleration is directly proportional to the force: if the force increases, the acceleration increases

- acceleration is inversely proportional to the mass: if the mass increases, the acceleration decreases

Answer 2

"If one increases the force on an object, its acceleration increases too because the push it feels is greater"

We have the 2nd law of Newton that relates the 3 concepts; F=m*a. We have that if the mass of an object increases (put weight in luggage), the accelearation decreases; in fact it is inversely proportional to the mass. Hence if the mass is doubled, acceleration is halved. Accelerations is proportional to force; if one doubles the force, the acceleration doubles too.