Final answer:
The acceleration of the bicycle will decrease when additional cargo is added if the same force is exerted, due to mass being inversely proportional to acceleration according to Newton's Second Law of Motion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The acceleration of the bicycle when Christian adds the cargo and exerts the same force can be calculated using Newton's Second Law of Motion, which states that the force applied to an object is equal to the mass of the object times its acceleration (F = ma). When Christian adds cargo to his bicycle, the mass of the bicycle increases. If he exerts the same force, the acceleration must decrease because acceleration is inversely proportional to mass (a = F/m). Therefore, the correct answer is (b) The acceleration decreases.
If we consider a few scenarios from the provided examples:
- (15a) If a child jumps off a merry-go-round radially, the angular momentum is conserved, and the angular velocity of the merry-go-round remains the same.
- (15b) Jumping backward to land motionless would transfer momentum to the merry-go-round, potentially increasing its angular velocity.
- (15c) Jumping straight up and hanging onto an overhead branch would not affect the merry-go-round's angular velocity as the system's angular momentum is conserved.
- (15d) Jumping off forward, tangential to the edge, would again conserve angular momentum, so the merry-go-round's angular velocity remains unchanged.