The same motor is used in rockets with different masses. The rockets have different accelerations. According to Newton’s second law, how is acceleration expected to change as the rocket mass increases? (1 point)

Question

Responses

Acceleration cannot be predicted based on changes in mass.
Acceleration cannot be predicted based on changes in mass.

As rocket mass increases, acceleration increases.
As rocket mass increases, acceleration increases.

There are no changes in acceleration, as it would depend on the amount of force.
There are no changes in acceleration, as it would depend on the amount of force.

As rocket mass increases, acceleration decreases.
As rocket mass increases, acceleration decreases.

Answer 1

According to Newton's second law of motion, acceleration (a) is defined by the equation:

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

where \( F \) is the force applied, and \( m \) is the mass of the object.

When the mass of the rocket increases (keeping the force produced by the motor constant), the acceleration will decrease because the force is being divided by a larger mass.

Therefore, the correct response is:

As rocket mass increases, acceleration decreases.