Analysis

 Sources of Error
o Friction is a possible source of error in the experiment. The formulas used in computing
the acceleration assumes that the dynamics track, and the pulley would be frictionless.
o Air resistance was also unaccounted for. The net force applied on the cart was assumed to
be just the weight of the hanging mass. The effect of air resistance as the hanging mass was
allowed to fall down was neglected.
o Another possible source of error is the inconsistency of the starting point of the cart. The
cart was placed just before the photogate could register the picket fence. If the photogate
registers the cart prematurely, the timer would be reset and the cart would be replaced on
the track before the photogate registers it. This is based on human judgement which may
not be entirely accurate.

 Concepts or Principles Used

o Newton’s second law of motion, acceleration, was the main concept observed throughout
the experiment. The relationship of acceleration was determined by varying the net force
experienced by a body and by varying the mass of the body itself.
o The concept of free body diagrams (FBD) was used in order to visualize the different forces
acting on a body. This was also used in order to find the summation of all forces on both y
and x axes.

 In both parts of the experiment, the factors considered in the determination of the cart’s acceleration
was time of travel, net force applied to the cart, and the mass of the cart.
 From the data gathered in part A, the time it took for the cart to travel 0.5m decreases as the net
force applied to the cart was increased. A direct relationship can be established between
acceleration and net force applied to a body.
 In part B on the other hand, the time it took for the cart to travel 0.5m increases as the mass of the
cart increases. An inverse relationship can be established between acceleration and mass of a body.

Conclusion
The objective of the experiment was to determine the proportionality between acceleration and
force, and between acceleration and mass. From the data gathered, it can be seen that the objectives were
met, for a trend was established in both parts of the experiment. Both trends are explained by Newton’s
second law of motion, acceleration.
 Acceleration is a vector quantity that is defined as the rate at which an object changes its velocity.
An object is accelerating if it is changing its velocity. Newton’s second law of Motion is given by (equation
1):
𝐹
𝑎= (1)
𝑚
Where F is the net force acting on a body with a mass, m. From this we can establish a relationship between
acceleration and force, and acceleration and mass. Acceleration is directly proportional to the net force
acting on a body. This explains why the time it took for the cart to pass the two photogates decreases as the
hanging mass was increased. The cart was accelerating due to the force applied to it, in this case, the hanging
mass. Acceleration, however, is inversely proportional to the mass. This is why it took longer for the cart
to travel 0.5m in part B of the experiment. The acceleration in this part of the experiment was still because
of the hanging mass. However, this time, the net force was kept constant while the mass was increasingly
varied.
After having done the experiment, I learned how varying the mass and net force of an object affects
its acceleration. A heavier body would need to exert more force in order to accelerate to a certain speed as
compared to a lighter body. Moreover, I realized the importance of doing multiple trials per 1 recorded trial
to make sure that the data gathered would be reproducible regardless if it is accurate. Furthermore, this
experiment made me think how acceleration could be applied to engineering or to the fields of my study.
As a Chemical Engineering and Chemistry student, I think that the relationship between
acceleration and mass can be applied to the field Chemistry in the diffusion of gases. Diffusion is the gradual
mixing of gases due to the motion of their component particles even in the absence of mechanical agitation
such as stirring. The related process, effusion, is the escape of gaseous molecules through a small (usually
microscopic) hole, such as a hole in a balloon, into an evacuated space. Effusion is given by (equation 2):

𝑐𝑅𝑀𝑆,𝐴 𝑀𝐵
=√ (2)
𝑐𝑅𝑀𝑆,𝐵 𝑀𝐴

Where c is the root mean squared velocity of the gas and M is its corresponding molar mass. Heavy
molecules effuse through a porous material more slowly than light molecules as described by the equation
above. This is the same principle that was applied in Newton’s second law. A heavier body would need
more net force in order to accelerate to a certain speed.