Lab Report N2L - Phys 221

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School

University of Mississippi *

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Course

221

Subject

Physics

Date

Apr 3, 2024

Type

pdf

Pages

5

Uploaded by CorporalScorpionPerson1022

Lab Report - Phys 221 Newton’s 2nd Law Abstract: In this lab, we sought to prove Newton’s second law through practical applications. We used a cart with a string attached to a force sensor. The string is pulled over a pulley and will have masses of various weights attached to it to pull the cart forward toward the pulley. We also have a motion sensor set up to track the speed at which the car is pulled towards the pulley. We will use these results to determine the acceleration of the cart. Using the force detected by the force sensor, the mass of the cart, and the acceleration of said cart, we will be able to validate Newton’s second law: Force = mass x acceleration. The results we got in this experiment confirm this law to be true with room for acceptable equipment and human error. Results Presentation: Hanging Mass Cart Mass Calculated Tension Measured Tension % Differ Calculated Acceleration Measured Acceleration % Differ Friction Weight 50g 590g .45N .47N 4.26 .67m/s^2 .66m/s^2 1.5 .05N 100g 590g .85N .92N 7.61 1.32m/s^2 1.36m/s^2 2.9 .05N 50g 1180g .48N .49N 2.04 .31m/s^2 .34m/s^2 8.2 .12N 100g 1180g .91N .95N 4.21 .69m/s^2 .64m/s^2 7.2 .12N Sample Calculations: The formula used for calculating tension:
The formula used for calculating acceleration: The formula used for % difference:
Discussion of Results: Our goal in this experiment was to prove Newton’s second law applies to real-world scenarios. We measured differing masses, forces, and accelerations and then used F=ma to see if they agreed with the calculations. The results of our calculations and the results of our practical observations largely agreed. We started by calculating friction so that we could factor it into our calculations throughout the experiment. We did this by tying a 7-gram mass to the end of the string draped over the pulley and giving a gentle push to the cart. The cart then moved at a near-constant velocity until it had reached the pulley. This means that we had measured the force of friction (Taking into account the obvious human error involved in what is considered “constant velocity”). We used this number to calculate friction force for both the dry weight of the cart and the doubled weight of the cart. We changed around variables in two main ways. Our first trial consisted of a 50-gram mass pulling on a cart of 590 grams with no additional mass added to it. On the next trial, we took the 50-gram mass and swapped it out for a 100-gram mass to see if the law would still hold. The results we got were in agreement with Newton's second law. The second way we changed a variable is by increasing the cart's mass by double. The thought behind this is that the now 1180g cart would have a different, slower acceleration. We did this twice, once with a 50g mass hanging and again with a 100g mass hanging. While the accelerations did indeed change, our results are still very closely checked out with Newton’s second law. The only recommendations to make the experiment better for this lab would be to increase the number of trials run and continue to change up different masses for the hanging mass and the cart mass. This might not be practical as there is a limited amount of time allotted for the lab. Still, if I were trying to prove this relationship between the acceleration of an object and the forces applied to it, I would run many more trials while playing with many more than simply two hanging masses and two cart masses.
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