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Adisorn conducts an experiment investigating Newton’s first law of motion by sliding several objects on a concrete floor, and then a wooden plank using the same force in all trials. The distance in centimeters traveled in one second over five trials is recorded in the following table.

Newton’s First Law of Motion
Surface: Concrete Floor
Object Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5
Toy 26 33 28 30 27
Block 19 21 21 19 20
Ball 37 33 40 36 42
Pen 25 27 19 22 26
Surface: Wooden Plank
Object Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5
Toy 22 24 20 26 26
Block 17 18 13 19 15
Ball 31 24 35 27 29
Pen 21 15 18 21 21
Using this data, which of the following statements is true?

(1 point)
Responses

The wooden plank had less friction than the concrete floor.
The wooden plank had less friction than the concrete floor.

The ball being pushed on the concrete floor had the least friction force against it.
The ball being pushed on the concrete floor had the least friction force against it.

The block being pushed on the wooden plank had the least friction force against it.
The block being pushed on the wooden plank had the least friction force against it.

The pen being pushed on the concrete floor had the least friction force against it.
The pen being pushed on the concrete floor had the least friction force against it.
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1 answer

To determine the truth of the provided statements, we need to analyze the distances recorded for each object on both surfaces. The basic principle here relates to friction: the less distance an object travels, the greater the friction force acting on it.

Concrete Floor:

  • Toy: Average of 26 + 33 + 28 + 30 + 27 = 28.8 cm
  • Block: Average of 19 + 21 + 21 + 19 + 20 = 19.8 cm
  • Ball: Average of 37 + 33 + 40 + 36 + 42 = 37.6 cm
  • Pen: Average of 25 + 27 + 19 + 22 + 26 = 23.8 cm

Wooden Plank:

  • Toy: Average of 22 + 24 + 20 + 26 + 26 = 23.6 cm
  • Block: Average of 17 + 18 + 13 + 19 + 15 = 16.4 cm
  • Ball: Average of 31 + 24 + 35 + 27 + 29 = 29.2 cm
  • Pen: Average of 21 + 15 + 18 + 21 + 21 = 19.2 cm

Now let's summarize the findings:

  1. On the concrete floor, the object that traveled the least distance was the block (19.8 cm), which suggests it experienced the most friction among the listed objects.
  2. On the wooden plank, the object that traveled the least was also the block (16.4 cm), indicating a high friction force as well.

Now let's evaluate the statements:

  1. The wooden plank had less friction than the concrete floor.
    This statement is likely true because several objects traveled further on the wooden plank than on the concrete.

  2. The ball being pushed on the concrete floor had the least friction force against it.
    True, as the ball traveled the furthest (37.6 cm) on the concrete.

  3. The block being pushed on the wooden plank had the least friction force against it.
    This statement is false since the block traveled the shortest distance (16.4 cm), indicating a higher friction.

  4. The pen being pushed on the concrete floor had the least friction force against it.
    False, as the pen traveled 23.8 cm, which is more than other objects in that set.

The correct answer is: The wooden plank had less friction than the concrete floor.