Use the image to answer the question below.

Question

In the experimental setup shown, a car has one end of a string attached to it, and the other end is attached to a fixed number of metal discs. The car moves along the table and two probes sense the motion of the car. The probes send information to a computer that displays the acceleration and velocity of the experiment. When looking at these results, which quantity stays constant during the trials?



A car at the one end of the table is tied to a hanger at the other end of the table using a string and a pully. The hanger is hanging over the side of the table while the car is placed flat on the surface of the table. The hanger can support the metal discs. A ruler, a laptop, and other equipment are also placed on the table.

(1 point)
Responses

velocity
velocity

force
force

mass
mass

acceleration
acceleration

Answer 1

In the experimental setup described, the quantity that stays constant during the trials is mass.

Here's why:

• Velocity can change as the car accelerates or decelerates.
• Acceleration can vary depending on the forces acting on the car and the hanging mass.
• Force applied can also change, especially if the number of metal discs is varied during the trials.

However, the mass of the car and the mass of the hanging discs (assuming they are not changed during the trials) remains constant throughout the experiment.