Question

You are using a constant force to accelerate a person on a sled. Suddenly, another person jumps on, doubling the mass you are pulling. What happens to the acceleration? Describe and use numbers.

Answer 1

When another person jumps on the sled and doubles the mass being pulled, the acceleration decreases. The force applied to the sled is divided between the increased mass, resulting in a halved acceleration.

Step-by-step explanation:

When another person jumps on the sled, doubling the mass being pulled, the acceleration decreases. This is because the force required to accelerate the sled is now being divided between the increased mass. Using an example with numbers, let's say the force applied to the sled was originally 100 N and the mass of the sled plus the person on it was 50 kg. The acceleration would be 100 N / 50 kg = 2 m/s^2. But when the second person jumps on, doubling the mass to 100 kg, the force applied is still 100 N, resulting in an acceleration of 100 N / 100 kg = 1 m/s^2. So the acceleration is halved when the mass is doubled.