Investigating Motion Flashcards
How would you set up a practical to investigate how mass and force affect acceleration (Newton’s 2nd law)?
1)To investigate the effect of mass on acceleration, set up the apparatus with the trolley on a smooth surface connected to the hook via the pulley.
2)Add masses to the trolley and release it, recording the acceleration measured by the light gate as it passes through it. 3)Repeat this for different masses added to the trolley, ensuring each trial starts from the same position, and calculate the average acceleration for each mass.
4)To investigate the effect of force on acceleration, maintain the total mass of the system constant but vary the mass on the hook. Begin with all masses on the trolley, then transfer them one at a time to the hook to increase the applied force. Record the average acceleration for each force applied, keeping other variables constant. This method allows for the comparison of accelerations under different force conditions.
How can Newton’s Second Law explain the results of the practical investigation for Newton’s 2nd law?
-Newton’s Second Law, expressed as F = ma, helps explain the results.
-Here, F represents the weight of the hanging masses, m represents the mass of the whole system, and a represents the acceleration of the system.
What happens to the acceleration of the trolley when masses are added to it?
the whole system increases while the force applied to the system remains constant. According to Newton’s Second Law (a = F ÷ m), this leads to a decrease in the acceleration of the trolley.
What happens to the acceleration of the trolley when masses are transferred to the hook?
the accelerating force increases without changing the mass of the whole system. As a result, the acceleration of the trolley increases, as explained by Newton’s Second Law.
