Which object will have the greatest acceleration if acted upon by a net force of 100 N?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking which object will experience the greatest acceleration when a net force of 100 N is applied. According to Newton's second law of motion, acceleration is directly proportional to force and inversely proportional to mass (a = F/m). Therefore, to determine which object has the greatest acceleration, we need to know the mass of the objects in question.
Answer
The 5-kg object will have the greatest acceleration.
The 5-kg object will have the greatest acceleration when acted upon by a net force of 100 N.
Answer for screen readers
The 5-kg object will have the greatest acceleration when acted upon by a net force of 100 N.
More Information
Acceleration is inversely proportional to mass when the same net force is applied, according to Newton’s second law of motion: a = F/m. Therefore, an object with a smaller mass will experience greater acceleration.
Tips
A common mistake is to assume objects with greater masses will have greater acceleration. Remember that acceleration is inversely proportional to mass for a given force.
