A net force F which acts on a body of mass m causes an acceleration a - NSC Physical Sciences - Question 1 - 2016 - Paper 1

According to Newton's second law, the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration is given by the equation:

$F = ma$

When the same net force F is applied to a body of mass 2m, we need to determine the new acceleration. Let's denote the new acceleration as $a'$. We can apply Newton's second law again:

$F = (2m)a'$

Since we know that $F = ma$, we can substitute it into the equation:

$ma = (2m)a'$

Dividing both sides by $m$ gives:

$a = 2a'$

Now, we solve for $a'$:

$a' = \frac{a}{2}$

Thus, the acceleration of the body when the same net force is applied is $\frac{a}{2}$.