different amounts of force are applied to the same boat over several trials, and the acceleration is measured. in a graph of acceleration versus net force, what does the slope of the graph represent?

Question

a. the mass of the boat
b. the speed of the boat
c. the inverse of the mass of the boat
d. the inverse of the speed of the boat

Answer 1

In a graph of acceleration versus net force, according to Newton's Second Law of Motion (F = ma), the relationship between net force (F) and acceleration (a) can be expressed as:

\[ a = \frac{F}{m} \]

Here, the slope of the graph (acceleration vs. net force) represents the ratio of the change in acceleration to the change in net force. Therefore, if you're plotting acceleration (a) on the y-axis and net force (F) on the x-axis, the slope (which is Δa/ΔF) equals 1/m, where m is the mass of the boat.

So, the correct answer is:

c. the inverse of the mass of the boat