Question

1. three chairs were rolling across a flat office floor. the blue and red chairs are the same mass, and they have more mass than the yellow chair. each chair was hit by another chair, but not from the same direction. use the information in the diagram to answer. which chair(s) experienced the strongest force when hit? how do you know? a the blue and red chairs experienced the strongest force because they are both more massive than the yellow chair and they changed speed by the same amount. b the red chair experienced the strongest force because it is as massive as the blue chair and has the highest ending speed. c all three chairs experienced the same force because they changed speed by the same amount. d the blue chair experienced the strongest force because it takes more force to slow an object than it takes to make it go faster.

Explanation:

Step1: Recall Newton's second law

$F = ma$ (Force = mass $\times$ acceleration).

Step2: Analyze mass - acceleration relationship

Given blue and red have more mass than yellow. If change in speed (acceleration) is same for all, more mass means more force. Since blue and red have more mass and same change in speed as others, they experience more force.

Answer:

A. The blue and red chairs experienced the strongest force because they are both more massive than the yellow chair and they changed speed by the same amount.