Which of the following situations is an example of Newton’s Second Law?

Question

A
A baseball is left on a field overnight and is still there the next morning. It has not moved.

B
A baseball accelerates faster if it is thrown with more force.

C
A baseball and the catcher’s mitt act on each other with equal and opposite forces.

D
A baseball cools at night but it still has the same mass.

Answer 1

The situation that exemplifies Newton’s Second Law is:

B: A baseball accelerates faster if it is thrown with more force.

Newton’s Second Law states that the acceleration of an object depends on the net force acting on it and the object's mass, typically expressed in the formula $F=ma$, where $F$ is the net force, $m$ is the mass, and $a$ is the acceleration. In option B, the relationship between the applied force and acceleration is highlighted, which is the essence of Newton's Second Law.