Name Class Date
Concept-Development
Practice Page 6-3
Racing Day with a = F/m
In each situation below, Cart A has a mass of 1 kg. Circle the correct answers (A, B, or Same for both).
1. Cart A is pulled with a force of 1 N. 2. Cart A is pulled with a force of 1 N.
Cart B also has a mass of 1 kg and is pulled Cart B has a mass of 2 kg and is also pulled
with a force of 2 N. with a force of 1 N.
Which undergoes the greater acceleration? Which undergoes the greater acceleration?
(A) (B) (Same for both) (A) (B) (Same for both)
3. Cart A is pulled with a force of 1 N. 4. Cart A is pulled with a force of 1 N.
Cart B has a mass of 2 kg and is pulled with Cart B has a mass of 3 kg and is pulled with
a force of 2 N. a force of 3 N.
Which undergoes the greater acceleration? Which undergoes the greater acceleration?
(A) (B) (Same for both) (A) (B) (Same for both)
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
5. This time Cart A is pulled with a force of 4 N. 6. Cart A is pulled with a force of 2 N.
Cart B has a mass of 4 kg and is pulled with a Cart B has a mass of 4 kg and is pulled with
force of 4 N. a force of 3 N.
Which undergoes the greater acceleration? Which undergoes the greater acceleration?
(A) (B) (Same for both) (A) (B) (Same for both)
CONCEPTUAL PHYSICS
Chapter 6 Newton’s Second Law of Motion—Force and Acceleration 29
Drop and Pull
1. Consider a 1-kg cart being pulled by a 10-N applied force. According to Newton’s second law,
acceleration of the cart is
a = F = 10 N = 10 m/s2.
m 1 kg
2. Consider the acceleration of the cart when the applied force
is due to a 10-N iron weight attached to a string draped over
a pulley. Will the cart accelerate as before, at 10 m/s2? The
answer is no, because the mass being accelerated is the mass
of the cart plus the mass of the piece of iron that pulls it.
Both masses accelerate. The mass of the 10-N iron weight is
1 kg—so the total mass being accelerated (cart + iron) is 2 kg.
Then,
a = F = 10 N = 5 m/s2.
m 2 kg
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
a. Find the acceleration of the 1-kg cart when two
identical 10-N weights are attached to the string.
a = F = applied force = 20 N = 6.7 m/s2
m total mass 3 kg
CONCEPTUAL PHYSICS
30 Chapter 6 Newton’s Second Law of Motion—Force and Acceleration
Name Class Date
Drop and Pull—continued
b. Find the acceleration of the 1-kg cart when
three identical 10-N weights are attached to the
string.
a = F = applied force = 30 N = 7.5 m/s2
m total mass 4 kg
c. Find the acceleration of the 1-kg cart when four identical 10-N weights (not shown)
are attached to the string.
a = F = applied force = 40 N = 8 m/s2
m total mass 5 kg
d. This time 1 kg of iron is added to the cart, and only
one iron piece dangles from the pulley. Find the
acceleration of the cart.
a = F = applied force = 10 N = 3.3 m/s2
m total mass 3 kg
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
e. Find the acceleration of the cart when it carries two pieces of iron and only one iron piece
dangles from the pulley.
a = F = applied force = 10 N = 2.5 m/s2
m total mass 4 kg
CONCEPTUAL PHYSICS
Chapter 6 Newton’s Second Law of Motion—Force and Acceleration 31
f. Find the acceleration of the cart when it carries
3 pieces of iron and only one iron piece dangles
from the pulley.
a = F = applied force = 10 N = 2 m/s2
m total mass 5 kg
g. Find the acceleration of the cart when it carries
3 pieces of iron and 4 pieces of iron dangle from
the pulley.
a = F = applied force = 40 N = 5 m/s2
m total mass 8 kg
© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
h. Draw your own combination of masses and
find the acceleration.
a = F = applied force = = m/s2
m total mass
CONCEPTUAL PHYSICS
32 Chapter 6 Newton’s Second Law of Motion—Force and Acceleration