Question

luis and aisha conducted an experiment. they exerted different forces on four objects. their results are shown in the table.

object	mass	force (n)
2	100 g	20 n
3	10 g	4 n
4	1 kg	20 n

based on the data, which object has the greatest acceleration?

• object 1
• object 2
• object 3
• object 4

Explanation:

Step1: Recall Newton's 2nd Law

Newton's second law states $a = \frac{F}{m}$, where $a$ is acceleration, $F$ is force, and $m$ is mass. All masses must be converted to kilograms (kg) for unit consistency.

Step2: Calculate acceleration for Object 1

Mass $m_1=10\ \text{kg}$, Force $F_1=4\ \text{N}$
$a_1 = \frac{4}{10} = 0.4\ \text{m/s}^2$

Step3: Calculate acceleration for Object 2

Convert mass: $100\ \text{g} = 0.1\ \text{kg}$, Force $F_2=20\ \text{N}$
$a_2 = \frac{20}{0.1} = 200\ \text{m/s}^2$

Step4: Calculate acceleration for Object 3

Convert mass: $10\ \text{g} = 0.01\ \text{kg}$, Force $F_3=4\ \text{N}$
$a_3 = \frac{4}{0.01} = 400\ \text{m/s}^2$

Step5: Calculate acceleration for Object 4

Mass $m_4=1\ \text{kg}$, Force $F_4=20\ \text{N}$
$a_4 = \frac{20}{1} = 20\ \text{m/s}^2$

Step6: Compare all accelerations

Compare $0.4, 200, 400, 20$; the largest value is 400.

Answer:

C. Object 3