A net force of 0.7N is applied on a body. What happens to the acceleration of the body in a second trial if half of the net force is applied?

the acceleration remains the same
the acceleration is half of its original value
the acceleration is the square of its original value
the acceleration is double its original value

1 answer

To determine how the acceleration will change when the net force is halved, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states:

\[ F = m \cdot a \]

Where:

  • \( F \) is the net force applied to an object,
  • \( m \) is the mass of the object,
  • \( a \) is the acceleration of the object.

In the first trial, when a net force of \( 0.7 , \text{N} \) is applied, we can express the acceleration as:

\[ a_1 = \frac{F_1}{m} = \frac{0.7 , \text{N}}{m} \]

In the second trial, if half of the net force is applied, the new force \( F_2 \) is:

\[ F_2 = \frac{0.7 , \text{N}}{2} = 0.35 , \text{N} \]

The new acceleration \( a_2 \) then becomes:

\[ a_2 = \frac{F_2}{m} = \frac{0.35 , \text{N}}{m} \]

Comparing the two accelerations:

\[ a_2 = \frac{0.35 , \text{N}}{m} = \frac{0.7 , \text{N}}{2m} = \frac{a_1}{2} \]

Thus, the acceleration in the second trial is half of its original value. Therefore, the correct answer is:

The acceleration is half of its original value.