The tanker aircraft has a mass of 180,000 kg and has an acceleration of 2.8 m/s^2 prior to refueling the receiver aircraft. The tanker transfers 40,000 kg of fuel to the receiver aircraft. According to Newton′s second law (F = ma), which statement best de

To determine how the tanker's acceleration changes after transferring 40,000 kg of fuel, we can use Newton's second law, which states that the net force acting on an object is equal to the product of its mass and acceleration (F = m * a). Initially, the tanker has a mass of 180,000 kg and an acceleration of 2.8 m/s². The force acting on the tanker can be calculated as: \[ F = m \cdot a = 180,000 \, \text{kg} \cdot 2.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 = 504,000 \, \text{N} \] After transferring 40,000 kg of fuel, the mass of the tanker will be: \[ \text{New mass} = 180,000 \, \text{kg} - 40,000 \, \text{kg} = 140,000 \, \text{kg} \] Assuming the force remains constant (as external forces like thrust or drag may not change immediately), the new acceleration can be calculated using the equation rearranged from Newton's second law: \[ a = \frac{F}{m} \] Substituting the current force and the new mass: \[ a' = \frac{504,000 \, \text{N}}{140,000 \, \text{kg}} = 3.6 \, \text{m/s}^2 \] So, the new acceleration of the tanker after the fuel transfer is 3.6 m/s². ### Conclusion The acceleration of the tanker increases after it transfers the fuel. Therefore, the best statement describing the change in acceleration for the tanker is that "the acceleration of the tanker increases as a result of the reduction in mass from refueling."