The statement “force equals mass times acceleration open paren cap f is equal to ma close paren ” is Newton’s second law of motion. Why is this a law rather than a theory?

A scientific law describes a consistent relationship or pattern in nature, while a theory explains why that pattern occurs. Newton’s second law states that force equals mass times acceleration (F = ma); it gives the relationship between those variables without explaining its cause. So the best choice is “It states, rather than explains, the relationship between the variables.”

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