Newton's second law can be expressed as a mathematical formula for the amount of force needed to accelerate an object. The formula is force equals mass times acceleration, or, F=ma.

Question

James is trying to prove Newton's 2nd law of motion. He tries to move four different objects with different masses from point A to point B. The objects are a toy car, a car, a refrigerator and a kitchen table. James finds that it takes the least amount of force to move the

A. A picture of a car
B. A picture of a table with a black line on it.
C. A toy car
D. A picture of a refrigerator

Answer 1

To determine which object requires the least amount of force to move, we need to consider the mass of each object, as per Newton's second law \( F = ma \). Since the force required to move an object is dependent on its mass and the desired acceleration, the object with the least mass will require the least force to accelerate it.

Among the objects listed:

1. Toy car – Typically has a very small mass.
2. Car – Much heavier than a toy car.
3. Refrigerator – Heavier than both the toy car and the regular car.
4. Kitchen table – Also heavier than a toy car and comparable to or heavier than a refrigerator, depending on the table.

Given this information, the object that will require the least amount of force to move is the C. A toy car, as it has the least mass among the options provided.