If the weight of a vehicle is doubled, how much must the stopping power increase?

When the weight of a vehicle is doubled, the required stopping power must also increase proportionally to account for the increased momentum. Stopping power is fundamentally linked to the physics of motion, specifically Newton's second law, which states that force equals mass times acceleration (F=ma).

When a vehicle's weight is doubled, its mass has increased, which means that to achieve the same deceleration (which is necessary for stopping), the force applied must also be doubled. Hence, if the mass (weight) of the vehicle increases, the stopping force must increase correspondingly to ensure that the vehicle can still stop effectively within the same distance.

This principle indicates that if a vehicle weighs twice as much, it will require twice the force (or stopping power) to stop effectively. Therefore, the correct answer is that the stopping power must increase by twice the original amount.