To determine which object will accelerate more when an equal amount of force is exerted on each, we can use Newton's Second Law of Motion, which states that \( F = ma \), where \( F \) is force, \( m \) is mass, and \( a \) is acceleration.
If the student exerts the same amount of force on both objects, we can analyze the scenarios as follows:
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Single 10 kg box:
- Mass (m) = 10 kg
- If we exert a force \( F \), the acceleration \( a \) can be calculated as: \[ a = \frac{F}{m} = \frac{F}{10 , \text{kg}} \]
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Two 10 kg boxes:
- Combined mass \( m = 10 , \text{kg} + 10 , \text{kg} = 20 , \text{kg} \)
- The acceleration with the same force \( F \) would be: \[ a = \frac{F}{m} = \frac{F}{20 , \text{kg}} \]
Since the acceleration is inversely proportional to the mass, the single 10 kg box will accelerate more compared to the two 10 kg boxes under the same amount of force.
Answer: 10 kg box
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