Question

A bat hits a ball; which has the greater acceleration, the bat or the ball? The bat because it has a larger mass than the ball. The ball because it has a smaller mass than the bat. Although the ball has a smaller mass than the bat, they both have the same magnitude of acceleration.

Answer 1

When a bat hits a ball, the ball will have greater acceleration than the bat because it has a smaller mass and acceleration is inversely proportional to mass according to Newton's second law of motion.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question relates to Newton's second law of motion, which explains the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration. According to this law, acceleration is inversely proportional to mass when the force is constant. Therefore, when a bat hits a ball, it's important to realize that the ball, having a smaller mass than the bat, will experience a greater acceleration given that the force exerted on both the bat and the ball is the same.

According to this principle, the ball will have greater acceleration than the bat because it has less mass. While the bat may apply a large force to the ball, Newton's third law tells us that the ball exerts an equal and opposite force on the bat. However, the bat's larger mass means this force results in less acceleration.

Answer 2

A bat hits a ball.

We know from Newton #3 that the same size force acts on both objects.

The ball has the greater acceleration, because the ball has less mass than the bat has, and the same force acting on a smaller mass produces a greater acceleration.