A mother and her small child are standing in an inflatable bouncy house on opposite sides. The mother jumps up and comes back down again, transferring her kinetic energy to the child through the floor. How will the motion of the small child change?(1 point) Responses The child will move down at the same speed at which the mother came down. The child will move down at the same speed at which the mother came down. - no response given The child will move up at the same speed at which the mother came down. The child will move up at the same speed at which the mother came down. - no response given The child will move up at a faster speed because the child has less mass. The child will move up at a faster speed because the child has less mass. - no response given The child will move up at a slower speed because the child has less mass.

Answer 1

When the mother jumps down onto the bouncy house, she exerts a force on the floor of the bouncy house, which in turn exerts an equal and opposite force on the child through the floor. This transfer of energy and momentum will cause the child to move up.

The key concept here is that while the mother is coming down with a certain velocity, the child's response is influenced by the principle of conservation of momentum and the difference in their masses. The child will not move down at the same speed as the mother comes down, nor will they move up at the same speed purely based on mass. However, because of having less mass compared to the mother, the child will indeed experience a greater acceleration when the mother lands.

Thus, the most accurate response that reflects the physics of the situation is:

The child will move up at a faster speed because the child has less mass.