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.

Question

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

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

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

This is supported by the data; as the force exerted by the ball on the wall increases, the return speed after the bounce also increases. This indicates that the wall's reaction force increases with the applied force, leading to a greater return speed of the ball.