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In a lab, you have a cart with mass $M$ being pulled along a track with negligible friction by a string that is hanging over a pulley at the edge of the lab table. There is a mass $m$ at the end of the string.

You vary the total mass of the system while keeping the mass on the end of the string constant. This keeps the net force on the system constant.

You collect data as shown in the table below.

Total Mass ($\text{Kg}$) 0.600 0.700 0.800 0.900 1.000
Acceleration ($\text{m/s}^2$) 1.78 1.49 1.33 1.17 1.08

Which of the following statements best indicate how to analyze this data to obtain the most accurate value of the unknown net force acting on the system?

A

Graph the data and determine the slope which is the net force.

B

Graph the data and determine the slope. The inverse of the slope is the net force.

C

Linearize the data by graphing acceleration vs. the inverse of mass. The slope is the net force.

D

Apply Newton's second law to multiply the mass and acceleration when the mass equals one kilogram. The product is the net force.

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