Question

10 kg cart and a 5 kg cart are placed on identical surfaces. The 10 kg cart experiences a net force of 12 N to the left, while the 5 kg cart experiences a net force of 8 N to the left. Compare and contrast the motion of the two carts.

Answer 1

F=ma

For the first (10kg) cart,
12=10a
a=6/5 m/s^2 to the left

For the second (5kg) cart,
8=5a
a=8/5 m/s^2 to the left

Therefore, the lighter (5kg) cart experiences a greater acceleration.