If the weight of a vehicle is doubled, how many times must the stopping power be increased?

The stopping power required for a vehicle is directly related to its momentum, which is the product of its mass and velocity. When the weight of a vehicle is doubled, its mass increases. The momentum (and thus the kinetic energy) of the vehicle at a given speed increases with the square of the velocity.

To understand the stopping power needed, you can refer to the physics principle where the braking force must counteract this momentum. Specifically, if the weight doubles, the force needed to stop the vehicle under the same conditions (like velocity) will also effectively need to double.

Thus, the correct answer indicates that the stopping power must be increased by a factor of two to manage the doubled weight while maintaining the same performance in stopping distance and time.