Question

1. two students push identical carts.

student a applies 10 n.
student b applies 20 n.

a) which cart accelerates faster? student bs cart
b) how would doubling the mass change that result?

Explanation:

Step1: Apply Newton's second law

Newton's second law is \(F = ma\), where \(F\) is force, \(m\) is mass, and \(a\) is acceleration. For identical carts (same \(m\)), \(a=\frac{F}{m}\).

Step2: Compare accelerations

Student A: \(a_A=\frac{F_A}{m}=\frac{10}{m}\). Student B: \(a_B=\frac{F_B}{m}=\frac{20}{m}\). Since \(\frac{20}{m}>\frac{10}{m}\), Student B's cart accelerates faster.

Step3: Analyze effect of doubling mass

Original \(a = \frac{F}{m}\). New \(a'=\frac{F}{2m}=\frac{1}{2}\times\frac{F}{m}\). So acceleration is halved.

Answer:

a) Student B's cart accelerates faster. b) Doubling the mass would halve the acceleration.