Question

Write a hypothesis about the effect of the fan speed on the acceleration of the cart. Use the "if . . . then . . . because . . .” format and be sure to answer the lesson question: "How does an object's position and velocity change as the object accelerates?”

Answer 1

If the fan speed increases, then the cart's acceleration will increase, because a faster fan produces more thrust (a larger net force) on the cart, causing a greater rate of change of velocity. As the cart accelerates, its velocity will change (increase in this case) over time and its position will change more rapidly — the position vs. time graph becomes steeper (curves upward) while the velocity vs. time graph rises with a slope equal to the acceleration.