A student attaches a rope to the handle of a chest loaded with a few books, while the other end of the rope is tied to a spring scale. The student pulls the scale with just enough force to set the chest in motion and records the force applied on the spring scale. The student repeats the experiment with more books in the chest and records the data in a table.

What can be concluded from the data?

As the mass of the chest increases, less force is required to pull it.
As the mass of the chest increases, less force is required to pull it.

As the mass of the chest increases, more force is required to pull it.
As the mass of the chest increases, more force is required to pull it.

The amount of frictional force increases as the mass of the chest decreases.
The amount of frictional force increases as the mass of the chest decreases.

The amount of frictional force decreases as the mass of the chest increases.
The amount of frictional force decreases as the mass of the chest increases.

Mass is a measure of the inertia of a body. Inertia means reluctance towards motion. A heavier object has a greater degree of inertia than a lighter object.

Hence, the student will notice that more force is required to move a heavier chest of books than a lighter one.

Therefore, as the mass of the chest increases, more force is required to pull it.