Question

Force and Motion Unit Test
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Question
A spring scale shows a net force of 0.8 N acting on a 1.5-kg mass. What happens to the acceleration of the object if the net force is decreased to 0.2 N?(1 point)
Responses

The acceleration increases to four times its original value, or about 2.13 m/s2.
The acceleration increases to four times its original value, or about 2.13 m/s 2 .

The acceleration increases to four times its original value, or about 0.13 m/s2.
The acceleration increases to four times its original value, or about 0.13 m/s 2 .

The acceleration decreases to a quarter of its original value, or about 2.13 m/s2.
The acceleration decreases to a quarter of its original value, or about 2.13 m/s 2 .

The acceleration decreases to a quarter of its original value, or about 0.13 m/s2.

Answer 1

To determine what happens to the acceleration of the object when the net force is decreased, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states:

\[ F = m \times a \]

Where:
- \( F \) is the net force,
- \( m \) is the mass,
- \( a \) is the acceleration.

First, we can calculate the initial acceleration when the net force is 0.8 N and the mass is 1.5 kg:

\[ a = \frac{F}{m} = \frac{0.8 \, N}{1.5 \, kg} \approx 0.53 \, m/s^2 \]

Now, if the net force is decreased to 0.2 N, we can calculate the new acceleration:

\[ a = \frac{0.2 \, N}{1.5 \, kg} \approx 0.13 \, m/s^2 \]

So, the new acceleration is 0.13 m/s², which is less than the original acceleration of approximately 0.53 m/s².

From the options provided, the correct answer is:

**The acceleration decreases to a quarter of its original value, or about 0.13 m/s².**