Question

A student is investigating inertia using four boxes of different masses. The student pushes each box across a flat surface with the same amount of force. The student records her observations in the table shown.


The student claims that the mass of the boxes affects inertia. Which argument can the student make using the data in the table?



Box B travels less than Box C because it has more inertia.

Box C travels more than Box B because it has more inertia.

Box D travels the least because it has the lowest amount of inertia.

Box A travels the farthest because it has the most inertia

Answer 1

The correct answer of the question is Box B travels less than Box C because it has more inertia.

Given

Four boxes A , B , C , D with masses 1 kg , 8 kg , 3 kg , 10 kg respectively

and same force of 2 N is applied to each of the 4 boxes. The distance of 1.4 m , 0.9 m , 1.2 m , 0.6 m

To Find

The correct statement out of the given 4 statements.

Solution

Concept

The concept of inertia states that an object will maintain its current motion unless a force changes its speed or direction. The phrase should be taken as a shortened form of Newton's first law of motion's description of "the principle of inertia."

As inertia depends on mass.

So the box which has the higher mass has more inertia and thus it will travel a lesser distance .

So thus Box B will travel a lesser distance than Box C as it has more inertia.

So by the above logic the rest of the statements are false as Box D will travel the least because it has the highest amount of inertia and Box A will travel the most because it has the lowest amount of inertia .

So the final answer of the question is Box B travels less than Box C because it has more inertia.

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