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How do Newton’s laws of motion explain why it is important to keep the ice smooth on a hockey rink so that players can pass a puck as quickly as possible?

Smooth ice reduces the inertia of the hockey puck.
Smooth ice increases the force used to accelerate the hockey puck.
Smooth ice reduces the unbalanced forces that would slow the hockey puck.
Smooth ice decreases the reaction force that the ice exerts on the hockey puck.

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Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Correct answer: "Smooth ice reduces the unbalanced forces that would slow the hockey puck."

Explanation: By Newton's first law, a puck will keep moving at constant velocity unless a net (unbalanced) external force acts on it. Rough ice produces larger frictional forces that act opposite the puck's motion; smoothing the ice reduces that frictional (retarding) force. With smaller opposing force, the puck loses speed more slowly (or has a larger net forward force for a given push, per F = ma), so passes travel faster and farther.

The other choices are incorrect because inertia depends on mass (not surface smoothness), smoothing doesn't increase the force applied by the stick, and the normal (reaction) force is essentially unchanged by ice smoothness.