Use the table of information from an investigation to answer the question.

Question

Student Depth of Object in Sand (cm)
Maddie 1.8
Naveed 4.0
Two students drop an object into sand from a height of 1.5 meters. They record the depth of the hole made in the sand by each student’s object. What is the most likely explanation for the results?

(1 point)
Responses

Maddie’s object has a smaller width.
Maddie’s object has a smaller width.

Naveed’s object has less mass.
Naveed’s object has less mass.

Naveed’s object had greater kinetic energy.
Naveed’s object had greater kinetic energy.

Maddie’s object had a faster drop speed.

Answer 1

The most likely explanation for the results is:

Naveed’s object had greater kinetic energy.

This is because kinetic energy is related to both mass and speed. Since Naveed’s object created a deeper hole in the sand, it suggests that it had greater energy upon impact, which could have resulted from either a greater mass or a faster speed. Given the data provided, and considering that both objects were dropped from the same height (1.5 meters), it implies that Naveed’s object likely either had greater mass or a greater kinetic energy leading to the larger depth.