Which law explains why pushing a heavier cart requires more force to achieve the same acceleration as a lighter cart?

Which law explains why pushing a heavier cart requires more force to achieve the same acceleration as a lighter cart?

• A. The Law of Inertia
• B. Newton's Second Law of Motion
• C. Newton's Third Law of Motion
• D. Law of Universal Gravitation

Answer: (B)

When you push something, how quickly it speeds up depends on both how hard you push and how heavy it is. Newton's second law says that net force equals mass times acceleration (F = m a). To get the same acceleration with a heavier cart, you need a larger net force because the mass is bigger. The heavier cart also has greater inertia, meaning it resists changes in motion more, so you must push harder to achieve the same speed-up. The other laws describe different ideas: inertia explains resistance to motion changes, third law is about action-reaction forces, and gravity isn’t the main factor for horizontal pushing on a flat surface.

When you push something, how quickly it speeds up depends on both how hard you push and how heavy it is. Newton's second law says that net force equals mass times acceleration (F = m a). To get the same acceleration with a heavier cart, you need a larger net force because the mass is bigger. The heavier cart also has greater inertia, meaning it resists changes in motion more, so you must push harder to achieve the same speed-up. The other laws describe different ideas: inertia explains resistance to motion changes, third law is about action-reaction forces, and gravity isn’t the main factor for horizontal pushing on a flat surface.