Question

if the mass of a moving object is tripled while the net force acting on it remains constant, what happens to the objects acceleration? a) it triples. b) it is reduced to one - third of its original value. c) it remains the same. d) it is reduced to one - ninth of its original value.

Explanation:

Step1: Recall Newton's second - law

$F = ma$, where $F$ is force, $m$ is mass, and $a$ is acceleration.

Step2: Let the initial mass be $m_1$ and initial acceleration be $a_1$, so $F = m_1a_1$. The new mass $m_2=3m_1$ and force $F$ remains the same. Then $F = m_2a_2=3m_1a_2$.

Step3: Equate the two force expressions

Since $m_1a_1 = 3m_1a_2$, we can cancel out $m_1$ (assuming $m_1
eq0$) and get $a_2=\frac{1}{3}a_1$.

Answer:

It is reduced to one - third of its original value.