What is the effect of varying…

Physics Questions

What is the effect of varying mass and applied force on the acceleration of a cart moving along a track, according to Newton’s second law of motion?

Answer

Newton’s Second Law states that “the net force acting on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration.” This means that the acceleration of an object depends on both the net force applied to it and its mass. In our experiment, we consider a cart attached to a string that runs over a pulley. At the end of this string, a weight hangs down, creating tension that accelerates the cart. We will assume the string has no mass and that there’s no friction between the pulley and the string. As the hanging weight moves downward, it will cause the cart to accelerate to the right. If the hanging mass is m‚ÇÅ and the acceleration due to gravity is g, we can express the force as F = m‚ÇÅ.g with the tension acting in the opposite direction. Therefore, the net force can be expressed as Fnet = m‚ÇÅ.g – T, leading us to m‚ÇÅ.a. This relationship exemplifies Newton’s Second Law, F = m.a.

Scroll to Top