Question

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which statements about a purse sitting on top of a moving car are correct?
the purse continues to move after the car has stopped, due to its inertia.
the inertia of the car is transferred to the purse and it accelerates.
the inertia of the purse resists a change in motion when the driver slams on the brakes.
the car and the purse are moving at the same speed.
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Explanation:

• According to Newton's first law of motion (law of inertia), an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an external force.
• When the car is moving, the purse is also moving at the same speed as the car (assuming no relative motion between them initially).
• When the driver slams on the brakes (applies a force to stop the car), the car decelerates. But the purse, having inertia (a property of matter to resist changes in its state of motion), continues to move forward because there is no significant force immediately acting on it to stop its motion at the same rate as the car.
• Inertia is a property of an object itself (depends on its mass), it cannot be transferred. So the statement "The inertia of the car is transferred to the purse and it accelerates" is wrong.

Answer:

• The purse continues to move after the car has stopped, due to its inertia.
• The inertia of the purse resists a change in motion when the driver slams on the brakes.
• The car and the purse are moving at the same speed.