Final answer:
The observed change in the cart's acceleration when the force applied is 2 times greater would be an increase from 1.2 m/s^2 to 2.4 m/s^2.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the observed change in the cart's acceleration when the force applied is 2 times greater, we can first calculate the initial acceleration using the given information. The force applied to the 600 g (0.6 kg) cart is unknown, but we can use Newton's second law of motion to find it. The formula for Newton's second law is F = ma, where F is the force, m is the mass, and a is the acceleration.
We can rearrange the formula to solve for the force: F = ma. Plugging in the mass and acceleration, we get F = 0.6 kg * 1.2 m/s^2. Calculating this, we find that the force applied to the cart is 0.72 N.
If the force applied to the same cart is 2 times greater, the new force would be 2 * 0.72 N = 1.44 N. We can use Newton's second law again to find the new acceleration: a = F/m. Plugging in the new force and the mass of the cart (0.6 kg), we get a = 1.44 N / 0.6 kg. Calculating this, we find that the new acceleration is 2.4 m/s^2.