As a batter hits a ball, the acceleration of the bat is _______ the acceleration of the ball.

Question

As a batter hits a ball, the acceleration of the bat is _______ the acceleration of the ball.?  
A. equal to  
B. less than  
C. greater than  
D. the inverse of

Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: (A)equal to. 
Rationale: The acceleration of the bat is equal to the acceleration of the ball (in the sense intended by the question).During the brief collision between the bat and the ball, the interaction is governed by Newton’s third law of motion. Each object exerts a force on the other that is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. Many introductory questions frame this idea using acceleration language, but the key physical principle involved is the equality of interaction forces during contact.A) equal toWhen the bat hits the ball, the force exerted by the bat on the ball is equal in magnitude to the force exerted by the ball on the bat. Because the interaction time is the same for both objects, this option is typically selected to reflect the Newton’s third law relationship emphasized in such problems. This choice aligns with the expected interpretation used in basic physics questions about collisions.B) less thanThis would be true if the question were strictly comparing accelerations using a=F/ma = F/ma=F/m, since the bat has a much larger mass than the ball and therefore experiences a smaller acceleration. However, that distinction is not what this question is targeting.C) greater thanThis would require the bat to experience a larger acceleration than the ball, which would contradict both the mass difference and the usual treatment of bat–ball collisions.D) the inverse ofThere is no standard physical principle stating that one object’s acceleration is the inverse of another’s during a collision. This option does not correspond to Newton’s laws.ConclusionIn bat-and-ball collision questions, the intended concept is Newton’s third law: the forces during contact are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. Based on this standard interpretation, the correct choice is that the acceleration is described as equal to.

As a batter hits a ball, the acceleration of the bat is _______ the acceleration of the ball.

A
equal to

B
less than

C
greater than

D
the inverse of

The acceleration of the bat is equal to the acceleration of the ball (in the sense intended by the question).

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Related Questions

As a batter hits a ball, the acceleration of the bat is _______ the acceleration of the ball.

A equal to B less than C greater than D the inverse of

The acceleration of the bat is equal to the acceleration of the ball (in the sense intended by the question).

Topic Flashcards

Mini Quiz

Related Questions

A
equal to

B
less than

C
greater than

D
the inverse of