If the net force on an object remains constant while its mass doubles, what happens to its acceleration?

If the net force on an object remains constant while its mass doubles, what happens to its acceleration?

• A. The acceleration doubles
• B. The acceleration remains the same
• C. The acceleration halves
• D. The acceleration becomes zero

Answer: (C)

Newton's second law tells us that acceleration equals the net force divided by mass (a = F/m). If the net force stays the same and the mass doubles, the acceleration must drop by a factor of two. For example, with F = 10 N and m = 2 kg, a = 5 m/s^2; if the mass becomes 4 kg, a = 2.5 m/s^2. So the acceleration halves. It wouldn’t double or stay the same, and it wouldn’t go to zero unless the force were zero or the mass became infinite.

Newton's second law tells us that acceleration equals the net force divided by mass (a = F/m). If the net force stays the same and the mass doubles, the acceleration must drop by a factor of two. For example, with F = 10 N and m = 2 kg, a = 5 m/s^2; if the mass becomes 4 kg, a = 2.5 m/s^2. So the acceleration halves. It wouldn’t double or stay the same, and it wouldn’t go to zero unless the force were zero or the mass became infinite.