Use the table of information from an investigation to answer the question.

Question

Student Depth of Object in Sand (cm)
Maddie 1.8
Naveed 4.0
Two students drop an object into sand from a height of 1.5 meters. They record the depth of the hole made in the sand by each student’s object. What is the most likely explanation for the results?

(1 point)
Responses

Naveed’s object has less mass.
Naveed’s object has less mass.

Maddie’s object has a smaller width.
Maddie’s object has a smaller width.

Maddie’s object had a faster drop speed.
Maddie’s object had a faster drop speed.

Naveed’s object had greater kinetic energy.
Naveed’s object had greater kinetic energy.
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Answer 1

The most likely explanation for the results is:

Naveed’s object had greater kinetic energy.

This is because Naveed's object penetrated the sand deeper (4.0 cm) compared to Maddie's object (1.8 cm). The greater depth suggests that Naveed's object may have had a greater mass or received more kinetic energy upon impact, leading to a larger hole in the sand. However, since the question hints to choose an explanation from the given options, the choice about kinetic energy accurately reflects the relationship between the energy of the falling objects and the resulting impact.