Question

question 1. maya is driving her friends to a science museum in her car. maya suddenly applies the brakes. how does this affect an unrestrained passengers motion, according to newtons first law? a. the passenger immediately changes their state of motion to match the cars. b. the passenger maintains their original state of motion relative to the ground. c. the passenger continues their forward motion relative to the car due to inertia. d. the passenger moves backward relative to the car due to the braking force.

Explanation:

Newton's First Law states that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. When Maya applies the brakes, the car slows down. The passenger, who was in motion (moving forward with the car), has no unbalanced force acting on them immediately (assuming no seat - belt). So, relative to the ground (an inertial frame of reference), the passenger maintains their original state of motion (forward motion).

Answer:

B. The passenger maintains their original state of motion relative to the ground.