Imagine two students drop different objects into sand from the same height. They record the depth of the hole made in the sand as results in the table below. What is the most likely explanation for the results?

Question

A marble and bouncy ball are dropped into sand from the same height. The marble creates a hole in the sand with a depth of 1.0 cm. The bouncy ball creates a hole in the sand with a depth of 2.5 cm.

(1 point)
Responses

The object with the greater mass has the greater kinetic energy if dropped from the same height and will create a deeper hole in the sand.

The marble has the greatest mass and creates a deeper hole in the sand.

The bouncy ball and marble have

Answer 1

The most likely explanation for the results is:

The object with the greater mass has the greater kinetic energy if dropped from the same height and will create a deeper hole in the sand.

This response correctly relates the mass and kinetic energy of the objects to their ability to displace sand when they impact, resulting in different hole depths. The bouncy ball, being heavier than the marble, likely has greater mass and therefore greater kinetic energy upon impact, leading to a deeper hole in the sand.