You want to test how the mass of a ball affects its rate of fall. Which of the following ball drop trials (matched mass and drop heights)would best test this question?
A)mass of 0.5 kg, height 20 m/mass of 0.5 kg, height 20 m
B)mass of 0.5 kg, height 20 m/mass of 0.5 kg, height 10 m
C)mass of 0.5 kg, height 20 m/mass of 5.0 kg, height 20 m
D)mass of 0.5 kg, height 20 m/mass of 5.0 kg, height 10 m

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best choice to test how the mass of a ball affects its rate of fall is to keep the drop height constant and vary the mass. Option C (mass of 0.5 kg, height 20 m/mass of 5.0 kg, height 20 m) has two balls with different masses but the same drop height, making it the best choice for this experiment. The other options change either the mass or the drop height, making it difficult to isolate the effect of mass on the rate of fall.

You Want to Test How the Mass of a Ball