A student is demonstrating acceleration by throwing two balls. She throws both balls using the same amount of force in the same direction. The first ball she throws has a mass of 0.25 kg and the second ball has a mass of 0.5 kg.

Question

Explain what will happen to their acceleration and why.

(1 point)
Responses

A.The first ball has a smaller mass, so it will have less acceleration than the second ball.

B.The first ball has a smaller mass, so it will have greater acceleration than the second ball.

C.The balls have equal acceleration because they are being thrown in the same direction.

D.The balls will have equal acceleration because they are being thrown with the same force.

Answer 1

The correct response is:

B. The first ball has a smaller mass, so it will have greater acceleration than the second ball.

Explanation: According to Newton's second law of motion, acceleration is determined by the equation \( a = \frac{F}{m} \), where \( a \) is acceleration, \( F \) is force, and \( m \) is mass. Since the student is applying the same force to both balls, the one with the smaller mass (0.25 kg) will experience a greater acceleration compared to the one with the larger mass (0.5 kg). Therefore, the first ball will have greater acceleration than the second ball.