Question

anna litical and nellie newton conduct several trials in which they study the effect of varying the mass of a cart upon the acceleration of the cart when pulled with a constant force. which notebook entry accurately identifies the variables and displays the best choice for a plot? choice 2 of 4: dependent variable: mass independent variable: acceleration graph with acceleration (m/s²) vs mass (kg)

Explanation:

Step1: Recall Variable Definitions

In an experiment, the independent variable is the one manipulated (mass here, as they vary it), and the dependent variable is the one measured (acceleration, as it depends on mass).

Step2: Analyze the Choice

The given choice labels mass as dependent and acceleration as independent, which is incorrect. The correct relationship (from \( F = ma \), constant \( F \)) means acceleration depends on mass, so independent variable should be mass, dependent should be acceleration. Thus, this choice is wrong.

Answer:

This notebook entry is incorrect. The independent variable should be Mass (since it's manipulated), and the dependent variable should be Acceleration (since it depends on Mass). The plot's axes also reflect this mix - up (x - axis is Mass, y - axis is Acceleration, so Mass should be independent, Acceleration dependent, but the table swaps them).