Force = Mxa Required Practical

Question 1

What is the method for this required practical

Answer 1

1. You first need to set up a track and a trolley which is accelerated by masees that are connected over a pulley to the trolley by a peice of string
2. Set up two photogates connected to a datalogger in order to figure of the trolley .
3. Start off with 100g of mass connected on the end of the spring
4. Turn on the datalogger anc push the trolley along the track see what accleration is recorded on the datalogger
5. Repeat two more times for 100g mass and take mean average of resukts
6. Remove one of the masses from the hanger in order to decrease the accelerating force and see what affect this has on accleration and place it on the trolley to make same
7. Repeat the experiment for different masses until you have enough readings

Question 2

How long should the piece of string that is attached over the pulley be

Answer 2

• Make sure the string is just shortenough so the trolley goes through the second photogate before your masses hit the floor
• If it is too long the masses would hit the floor before the trolley has reached the second photogate and therefore it has stopped accelerating

Question 3

What could be a possible issue for this required practicle

Answer 3

There could be friction between the track and the troley which could reduce the acceleration of the trolley . To remove this risk use a frictionless trolley