Question

In the following experiment, the acceleration of the downward pull was changed. In the first experiment (a), the acceleration was roughly 1 m/s for about 30 seconds. In the second experiment (b), the acceleration was 12 m/s for about 1.5 seconds. Image (a) shows a weight hanging vertically between two strings being pulled down, and the top section of the string connected to the ceiling is broken. The section of string connecting the pull to the weight is intact. Image (b) shows the same weight as (a) hanging vertically between two strings being pulled down, and the top section of string connecting the weight to the ceiling is intact. The section of string connecting the pull to the weight is broken. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International Which experiment shows the effect of inertial mass? A B Neither Both

Answer 1

We can see here that the experiment that shows the effect of inertial mass is experiment (a).

In experiment (a), where the acceleration was roughly 1 m/s for about 30 seconds, the top section of the string connected to the ceiling broke, while the section of the string connecting the weight to the pull remained intact.

This scenario demonstrates the effect of inertial mass because the inertial mass, or resistance to changes in motion, caused the string connected to the weight to remain intact while the force was applied to the top section of the string connected to the ceiling, resulting in its breakage.