Question

A cart with two blocks and three fans has twice the mass as a cart with just three fans. How did doubling the mass affect the acceleration of the cart

Answer 1

To understand how doubling the mass of the cart affects its acceleration, we can apply Newton's second law of motion, which states:

\[
F = ma
\]

where \( F \) is the net force applied to the object, \( m \) is the mass of the object, and \( a \) is the acceleration of the object.

Let's say the cart with just three fans has a mass \( m \) and the cart with two blocks and three fans has a mass \( 2m \). Assuming that both carts operate under the same conditions and that their fans provide the same total thrust \( F \), we can analyze their accelerations.

1. For the cart with three fans (mass \( m \)):
\[
F = ma \implies a = \frac{F}{m}
\]

2. For the cart with two blocks and three fans (mass \( 2m \)):
\[
F = (2m)a' \implies a' = \frac{F}{2m}
\]

Now, if we compare the accelerations:
- The acceleration of the cart with just three fans is \( a = \frac{F}{m} \).
- The acceleration of the cart with two blocks and three fans is \( a' = \frac{F}{2m} \).

From this comparison, we can see that:

\[
a' = \frac{1}{2} a
\]

This means that when the mass of the cart is doubled while keeping the same thrust from the fans, the acceleration of the cart is halved. Thus, doubling the mass of the cart results in a reduction of the acceleration to half of what it was before.