Students are using the

Question

experimental setup shown in
the image in which the two
ends of a string are attached
to a car and to a hanger.
The students conduct three
trials in which they
place metal discs on the
hanger to manipulate the
force applied to the car. As a
result, the car
accelerates along the table
while two probes
collect motion data.
On the fourth trial of this
experiment, a student
places some discs on the
car by mistake. How would
this change the acceleration
or velocity?
(2 points)
In Comparison to the
third trial, when the
student adds discs
to the car instead of
the hanger, the mass
of the car is
decreased, which
will increase the
acceleration of the
car across the table.
In Comparison to the
third trial, when the
student adds discs
to the car instead of
the hanger, the mass
of the car is
increased, which will
increase the
acceleration of the
car across the table.
In Comparison to the
third trial, when the
student adds discs

Answer 1

The correct response should clarify the impact of the mass added to the car in relation to the overall system. When a student mistakenly adds metal discs to the car instead of the hanger:

In comparison to the third trial, when the student adds discs to the car instead of the hanger, the mass of the car is increased, which will decrease the acceleration of the car across the table.

Explanation: According to Newton's second law of motion, acceleration (a) is inversely proportional to mass (m) when subjected to a constant force (F), as described by the equation \( F = ma \). By increasing the mass of the car (due to the added discs), the acceleration of the car will decrease for a given force applied by the hanger. Hence, for the same force, a heavier car will result in lower acceleration.