What is the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration as defined in Newton's second law?

What is the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration as defined in Newton's second law?

• A. Force is equal to mass multiplied by velocity
• B. Force is equal to mass multiplied by acceleration
• C. Force is equal to mass divided by acceleration
• D. Force is equal to acceleration divided by mass

Answer: (B)

Newton's second law of motion states that the net force acting on an object is directly proportional to the acceleration of that object and occurs in the direction of that acceleration. This relationship is mathematically expressed as the formula: Force = Mass × Acceleration. In this context, force (measured in Newtons) is the product of an object's mass (in kilograms) and the acceleration (in meters per second squared) that the object experiences due to that force. This means that if you increase the mass of an object while keeping the force constant, the acceleration will decrease, and conversely, if you apply a greater force to an object with a constant mass, it will accelerate more. This concept is foundational in mechanics, serving to connect the concepts of mass, force, and acceleration in a coherent manner that explains how objects behave under influence of forces. The other statements do not align with this definition: they either confuse the relationships or misrepresent the math involved with Newton's second law.

Newton's second law of motion states that the net force acting on an object is directly proportional to the acceleration of that object and occurs in the direction of that acceleration. This relationship is mathematically expressed as the formula:

Force = Mass × Acceleration.

In this context, force (measured in Newtons) is the product of an object's mass (in kilograms) and the acceleration (in meters per second squared) that the object experiences due to that force. This means that if you increase the mass of an object while keeping the force constant, the acceleration will decrease, and conversely, if you apply a greater force to an object with a constant mass, it will accelerate more.

This concept is foundational in mechanics, serving to connect the concepts of mass, force, and acceleration in a coherent manner that explains how objects behave under influence of forces. The other statements do not align with this definition: they either confuse the relationships or misrepresent the math involved with Newton's second law.