Which toy boat(s) experienced the strongest force when it was bumped? How do you know?
a
The blue toy boat experienced the strongest force because it takes a stronger force to slow something down than it takes to speed something up.
b
The gray toy boat experienced the strongest force because it had the fastest ending speed.
c
The orange and gray toy boats experienced the strongest forces because they both gained the same force as they sped up. The blue boat lost force, so it slowed down.
d
All three toy boats experienced the same strength force because they changed speed by the same amount.
The correct answer is: b The gray toy boat experienced the strongest force because it had the fastest ending speed.
Explanation: The force experienced by an object when bumped or acted upon can be inferred from how quickly it changes its speed. Since the gray toy boat had the fastest ending speed, it indicates that it was impacted with a greater force, accelerating it more than the others. According to Newton’s second law of motion, the force applied is related to the change in velocity, so a higher speed means a stronger force was involved.