Carlos and Dominique collect the following data from an experiment where they exerted the same force, F, to identical-sized boxes with different masses and recorded the acceleration (a). Based on the data, they can conclude that:

A) There is a direct relationship between mass and acceleration.
B) There is an inverse relationship between mass and acceleration.
C) There is no relationship between mass and acceleration.
D) The force exerted by Carlos and Dominique was not sufficient to determine a relationship between mass and acceleration.

The answer is B) There is an inverse relationship between mass and acceleration.

Here’s why:

According to Newton’s Second Law of Motion, Force (F) is equal to mass (m) times acceleration (a). This can be also written as F = ma.

If the force (F) is kept constant in the experiment (as mentioned in the question), then for a larger mass (m), the acceleration (a) will be smaller (assuming the same force is used on both boxes). This is because you’re dividing the same force by a larger mass, resulting in a lower acceleration.

Carlos and Dominique collect the following data

Conversely, for a smaller mass, the acceleration will be larger (assuming the same force is used).
Therefore, the data points to an inverse relationship between mass and acceleration.

Option A (direct relationship) is not supported because a larger mass wouldn’t lead to higher acceleration with the same force.

Option C (no relationship) is not likely as some change in acceleration should be observed based on mass.

Option D (insufficient force) doesn’t explain the relationship between mass and acceleration within the experiment’s constraints.