What does Newton's Second Law state about the relationship between acceleration, mass, and force?

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Dive into the AST2002 Astronomy Midterm at UCF. Enhance your understanding through engaging flashcards and insightful multiple-choice questions. Prepare effectively and boost your confidence for this academic challenge!

Newton's Second Law describes the relationship between mass, acceleration, and force in a clear and quantitative manner. It states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. This means that when a net force acts on an object, the resulting acceleration depends on both the magnitude of that force and the mass of the object. Therefore, if you increase the force applied to an object while keeping its mass constant, the acceleration will increase. Conversely, if you increase the mass while keeping the force constant, the resulting acceleration will decrease. This principle is fundamental to understanding how objects move in response to forces acting upon them, making option C the accurate choice.