Question

A 10-gram rubber ball was launched at a wall several times. The speed of the ball was measured after it hit the wall and bounced off. The force that the ball applied to the wall was also measured. The table below shows the data collected during the investigation.

Force Investigation Data
Force on Wall Return Speed after Bounce
0.5 N 5 m/s
1.5 N 9 m/s
2.0 N 18 m/s

According to the data, what happens to the ball when it applies more force to the wall?
A.
The wall pushes back on the ball with less force, which causes the return speed of the ball to decrease.
B.
The wall pushes back on the ball with more force, which causes the return speed of the ball to increase.
C.
The ball's return speed decreases because the balanced forces cancel each other out.
D.
The ball's return speed increases because balanced forces cause motion

Answers

GPT-4o mini
The correct answer based on the data provided is:

**B. The wall pushes back on the ball with more force, which causes the return speed of the ball to increase.**

This conclusion is supported by the observations in the data table. As the force exerted by the ball on the wall increases (from 0.5 N to 2.0 N), the return speed of the ball after bouncing off the wall also increases (from 5 m/s to 18 m/s). This indicates that a greater force results in a higher speed after the bounce, aligning with the principle of action and reaction as described by Newton's Third Law of Motion.

Related Questions