Question

Three boxes of identical size and shape are dropped from a height of one meter: Box A contains a feather. Box B contains an orange. Box C contains a soccer ball. Describe what will happen when the boxes are dropped. How does the mass of the objects affect what happens when the boxes are dropped?

a) All boxes will fall at the same speed due to gravity.
b) Box A will fall faster than Box B and Box C.
c) The mass of the objects does not affect how they fall.
d) Box C will fall faster than Box A and Box B.

Answer 1

Objects will fall at the same speed due to gravity if air resistance is negligible, making mass irrelevant in their falling speed. Applying an external force to two boxes will reveal the empty one by its quicker acceleration. In a practical experiment, air resistance makes a paper fall slower than denser objects like a marble, ball, or spoon.

Step-by-step explanation:

When discussing the falling speed of boxed objects with different masses, we are examining a concept in physics known as acceleration due to gravity. Assuming that air resistance and friction are negligible, all objects will fall at the same rate regardless of their mass. Therefore, the correct answer is (a) All boxes will fall at the same speed due to gravity.

Regarding the question on how to determine which of two identical boxes, one full of pebbles and one empty, is which without opening or lifting them, one can apply an external force to both boxes. If one box accelerates faster than the other, it has less inertia and therefore less mass; that box is the empty one. Hence, the correct answer is (c) By applying an external force; whichever box accelerates faster is lighter and so must be empty.

In the take-home experiment dropping a marble, a ball, a spoon, and a piece of paper, normally they would all hit the ground at the same time if air resistance is negligible. However, in practice, the piece of paper experiences more air resistance due to its larger surface area in relation to its mass, leading to a slower descent. This demonstrates the effect of air resistance, which opposes the motion and is more pronounced in objects with larger surface areas relative to their mass.