Arizona State University (ASU) PHY101 Introduction to Physics Practice Exam

To determine which box has the highest acceleration based on the respective forces acting on them, it's important to understand Newton's second law of motion, which states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting upon it and inversely proportional to its mass (F = ma).

If Box c has the highest acceleration, it implies that it either has a significantly greater net force applied compared to its mass or has a smaller mass in comparison to the forces acting on it. Acceleration can be calculated using the formula a = F/m, where a is acceleration, F is net force, and m is mass. A higher force with a lower mass will yield higher acceleration.

For Box c to be the correct answer, we can infer that it either has a greater force relative to its mass, making it accelerate faster than the others. This acceleration can be a result of either a larger force or a smaller mass than the other boxes, leading to its selection as the answer.

The other boxes may either have larger masses or smaller forces acting on them, leading to lower accelerations. Thus, understanding this fundamental relationship demonstrates why Box c exhibits the highest acceleration.