A force of 30 N is applied for 5.0 s on two objects with different masses. Which one has the greater acceleration?

Acceleration is determined by Newton's second law, which states that \( F = ma \) (force equals mass times acceleration). Since the same force of 30 N is applied to both objects, the object with the smaller mass will experience greater acceleration. This is because acceleration is inversely proportional to mass; thus, if mass decreases while force remains constant, acceleration increases! To illustrate this, imagine pushing a lightweight toy car versus a heavy truck. The car zooms off quickly since it’s light, while the truck needs a lot more force to get moving. This makes it clear that mass plays a vital role in how objects respond to the same applied force!