The same motor is used in rockets with different masses. The rockets have different accelerations. According to Newton’s second law, how is acceleration expected to change as the rocket mass increases? (1 point)

Question

Responses

As rocket mass increases, acceleration increases.

As rocket mass increases, acceleration increases.

As rocket mass increases, acceleration decreases.

As rocket mass increases, acceleration decreases.

Acceleration cannot be predicted based on changes in mass.

Acceleration cannot be predicted based on changes in mass.

There are no changes in acceleration, as it would depend on the amount of force. 

Answer 1

According to Newton's second law, acceleration is inversely proportional to mass when force is constant. The law is stated as \( F = ma \), where \( F \) is the net force, \( m \) is the mass, and \( a \) is the acceleration.

If the same motor produces a constant force, as the mass of the rocket increases, the acceleration will decrease. This is because the same amount of force acting on a larger mass results in a smaller acceleration.

So the correct response is:

As rocket mass increases, acceleration decreases.