Unbalanced Forces Lab
Ibrahim Khan, Grace Chung, Moon Ding, and Michael Palaumbo
October 22, 2021
October 22, 2021
How does the acceleration of an object depend on the net force acting on it?
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How does the acceleration of an object depend on its mass?
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How does the acceleration of an object depend on its mass?
Variables
Independent: Net Force Dependent: Acceleration Controls: Gravity (Planet) |
Variables
Independent: Total Mass (of System) Dependent: Acceleration Controls: Net Force |
Experimental Process: Multiple runs with different masses while keeping the system mass constant
Experimental Process: Multiple runs with different cart masses while keeping the hanger mass constant
For the first experiment, we kept a constant mass for the system while changing the masses between the cart and the hanger. We attached the hanger to the cart through a pulley system and graphed the acceleration using a sensor. We did about ten trials with different masses. For the second experiment, the hanger mass stayed constant while the cart mass increased and decreased. Using the same system, we graphed the acceleration with the different cart masses.
Experimental Process: Multiple runs with different cart masses while keeping the hanger mass constant
For the first experiment, we kept a constant mass for the system while changing the masses between the cart and the hanger. We attached the hanger to the cart through a pulley system and graphed the acceleration using a sensor. We did about ten trials with different masses. For the second experiment, the hanger mass stayed constant while the cart mass increased and decreased. Using the same system, we graphed the acceleration with the different cart masses.
Lab Diagram
Unprocessed Data
Processed Data
This is a proportional linear graph with its equation being y=0.6478x. It is slightly flawed with a couple outliers due to inconsistencies in data collection with the sensor. Overall the graph is pretty accurate and describes the proportional relationship between Acceleration and Net force
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This is a quadratic graph with its equation being y=0.467x^2 -1.52x+1.52.
I put both data fits (quadratic and inverse) to see the similarity in both fits. The inverse is technically more accurate but the quadratic fit is sufficient to this lab because of the range of masses we are looking at. |
Conclusion
Over all, this lab allowed us to see how change in system mass, hanger mass, and cart mass affected the net force and acceleration of the cart. We also observed how changes in different parts of the system effected our dependent variables. We found tat the relationship between Net force and acceleration is always proportional. We know that it will always have a y-intercept at zero because there is no acceleration when the net force is balanced or zero and vice-versa. In the second experiment we found something similar. When the total mass is o the acceleration is zero meaning that there is no y-intercept. There were very minimal inconsistencies most of which could be solved with redoing a trial simply because the sensor was glitchy. A suggestion to improve this lab would be to have a more consistent way to stop the buggy when it is doing down the ramp. I felt the constant part of the line of acceleration was a bit short at times making us have to redo the trial. A stopper at the 75 cm mark or somewhere there would stop the cart abruptly making for clean line of acceleration. It would also ensure that he hanger would not hit the ground.