A student drops a 350-gram rock and a 500-gram rock into a pool from a height of 8 meters. Which statement about the investigation is accurate?(1 point)

Question

Responses

The 500-gram rock causes a smaller splash because it has more mass.
The 500-gram rock causes a smaller splash because it has more mass.

The 350-gram rock causes a smaller splash because it has more kinetic energy.
The 350-gram rock causes a smaller splash because it has more kinetic energy.

The 500-gram rock causes a larger splash because it has more kinetic energy.
The 500-gram rock causes a larger splash because it has more kinetic energy.

The 350-gram rock causes a larger splash because it has less mass.

Answer 1

The accurate statement about the investigation is:

The 500-gram rock causes a larger splash because it has more kinetic energy.

This is because kinetic energy is given by the formula \( KE = \frac{1}{2}mv^2 \), where \( m \) is mass and \( v \) is velocity. Although both rocks will have the same velocity just before hitting the water (assuming no air resistance), the 500-gram rock has more mass, which results in higher kinetic energy and therefore a larger splash upon impact.