According to Newton's Second Law, if the net force $F_{net}$ on an object is held constant, how does increasing the mass $m$ affect the acceleration $a$?

• A. Acceleration decreases inversely with mass: $a=\frac{F_{net}}{m}$.
• B. Acceleration increases linearly with mass: $a=F_{net}m$.
• C. Acceleration decreases with the square of mass: $a=\frac{F_{net}}{m^2}$.
• D. Acceleration is independent of mass: $a=F_{net}$.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall Newton's Second Law, which states that the net force on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration: \(\ F_{net} = m \times a\).
2. To understand how acceleration changes with mass when the net force is constant, rearrange the formula to solve for acceleration: \(\ a = \frac{F_{net}}{m}\).
3. Notice from the equation \(a = \frac{F_{net}}{m}\) that acceleration is inversely proportional to mass when \(F_{net}\) is held constant.
4. This means that if the mass increases, the acceleration decreases, and if the mass decreases, the acceleration increases, following an inverse relationship.
5. Therefore, the correct relationship is that acceleration decreases inversely with mass, expressed as \(a = \frac{F_{net}}{m}\).