Question

use the table of information from an investigation to answer the question.
electromagnets ordered by magnetic force
strength
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 students object. what is the most likely explanation for the results?
(1 point)
naveeds object had greater kinetic energy.
naveeds object has less mass.
maddies object has a smaller width.
maddies object had a faster drop speed.

Explanation:

Kinetic energy is related to the mass and velocity of an object. When dropped from the same height (so velocity at impact is similar if we assume no air - resistance differences), a more massive object has more kinetic energy. A more massive object will do more work on the sand (overcome the sand's resistance) and create a deeper hole. Since Naveed's object made a deeper hole (\(4.0\ cm\) vs \(1.8\ cm\)), it likely had greater kinetic energy.

• If Naveed's object had less mass (second option), it would have less kinetic energy (assuming similar velocity) and make a shallower hole.
• Width (third option) is not directly related to the energy of impact in a simple drop - from - height experiment (assuming the objects have similar densities and shapes in terms of how they interact with the sand).
• If Maddie's object had a faster drop speed (fourth option), it would have more kinetic energy (\(KE=\frac{1}{2}mv^{2}\)) and should make a deeper hole, which is not the case.

Answer:

Naveed’s object had greater kinetic energy.