Two spacecrafts that have different masses but rocket engines of identical force are at rest in space. If they fire their rockets at the same time, which ship will speed up fastest?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Newton's second law of motion, force is equal to mass times acceleration (F=ma). Since both spacecraft have identical rocket engines, the force applied to each spacecraft is the same. Therefore, the spacecraft with the lower mass will experience a higher acceleration than the spacecraft with the higher mass. This means that it will speed up faster than the spacecraft with the higher mass.

Two Spacecrafts That Have Different Masses but Rocket Engines of Identical