Question

If you push on an object that has a mass of 400 kg and it accelerates at 4 m/s2, what would the acceleration (a) be if the mass was reduced to 1/4 as much?
(Hint: Instead of plugging 400 kg into the equation, plug 100 kg into the equation as the mass but keep the force at 1,600 N.)

a
1/4 m/s2

b
16 m/s2

c
8 m/s2

d
4 m/s2

Answer 1

Answer:

b  16 m/s².

Explanation:

Hello.

In this case, the force exerted to the mass of 400 kg at an acceleration of 4 m/s² is:

$F=400kg*4m/s^2=1600N$

Now, since the mass is decreased to 100 kg (1/4 of 400 kg), and the force remain the same, the new acceleration should be:

$a=\frac{F}{m}=\frac{1600kg*m/s^2}{100kg}\\ \\a=16m/s^2$

Thus, the answer is b  16 m/s².

Best regards.