According to Newton's 2nd Law, how does the mass of an object affect its acceleration?

Newton's 2nd Law states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. This relationship can be expressed mathematically as ( F = ma ), where ( F ) is the force applied, ( m ) is the mass, and ( a ) is the acceleration.

When mass increases, for a given amount of applied force, the resulting acceleration will decrease. This is because a larger mass requires more force to achieve the same acceleration. Therefore, if you have a heavier object, it will not accelerate as quickly as a lighter object under the same force. This principle illustrates that as mass increases, the acceleration will decrease, confirming that more mass results in less acceleration when force is constant.

Consequently, understanding this relationship helps clarify how mass influences the motion of objects and emphasizes the necessary balance of force and mass to achieve desired accelerations.