Question

You put your book on the bus seat next to you. When the bus stops suddenly the book slides forward off the seat. Why?

A.) The book received a push from the seat hitting it.
B.) The force applied by the bus caused it to accelerate forward.
C.) The book's inertia carried it forward.
D.) The book could never slide forward to begin with.

Answer 1

C) The book's inertia carried it forward.

An object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and direction, unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. In this case, the book was initially at rest on the seat, but when the bus stopped suddenly, the book's inertia kept it moving forward in the same direction and speed as the bus was moving before it stopped, causing it to slide off the seat.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

C.) The book's inertia carried it forward.

The book was at rest on the bus seat and had a tendency to stay at rest due to its inertia. When the bus stopped suddenly, the seat and the book accelerated forward due to the force applied by the bus. However, the book still had the tendency to stay at rest due to its inertia. This means that the book remained at its initial position for a brief moment while the seat and the bus moved forward. As a result, the book slid off the seat and moved forward with the same acceleration as that of the bus. So, it was the book's inertia, i.e. the resistance to change in its state of rest, that caused it to slide forward.