Force and Motion Unit Test

Question

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Question
The same type of engine is placed in two different airplanes. The first airplane is twice as heavy as the second airplane. Which statement is correct about the mass of the airplane and its acceleration, assuming a constant net force?(1 point)
Responses

Decreasing the mass of the airplane will result in the airplane accelerating less.
Decreasing the mass of the airplane will result in the airplane accelerating less.

Decreasing the mass of the airplane will result in the airplane accelerating more.
Decreasing the mass of the airplane will result in the airplane accelerating more.

Increasing the acceleration of the airplane causes the engine to provide less force.
Increasing the acceleration of the airplane causes the engine to provide less force.

Increasing the acceleration of the airplane causes the engine to provide more force.

Answer 1

To address your question, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that \( F = ma \), where \( F \) is the force applied, \( m \) is the mass, and \( a \) is the acceleration.

Given that the first airplane is twice as heavy as the second airplane and both are powered by the same type of engine providing a constant net force, we can derive some conclusions:

1. If the mass of the airplane increases, then for a given constant force, the acceleration will decrease (since acceleration is inversely proportional to mass when force is constant).

2. If the mass of the airplane decreases, then it will accelerate more for the same force (since acceleration is directly proportional to force when mass is constant).

Given these concepts, the correct statement based on the provided options is:

Decreasing the mass of the airplane will result in the airplane accelerating more.

This implies that a lighter airplane (the second one) will have a greater acceleration than the heavier one, given the same force is applied.