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

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

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

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

Naveed’s object has less mass.

Answer 1

The most likely explanation for the results is:

Naveed’s object had greater kinetic energy.

When objects are dropped from a height, their kinetic energy upon impact, which is influenced by both mass and velocity, affects how deep they penetrate into the sand. Since Naveed's object created a deeper hole than Maddie's object, it indicates that Naveed's object had more kinetic energy at the point of impact, which could be due to greater mass or potentially greater velocity at impact if factors like air resistance are negligible.