Forces
Force trolley
See that acceleration depends on the resultant force and the mass.
a = F / m
Apparatus
- Trolley
- Pulling force
- Friction pad
- Balance for the mass
Method
- Set the mass, the forward pull, and the friction.
- Predict the acceleration from the resultant, not from the pull alone.
- Release the trolley for 3.0 s.
- Increase the mass and run it again. The acceleration should fall.
Do not hang real masses where they can fall onto feet.
Resultant = 8 N. The pull wins.
Acceleration
—m/s²
Time
0s
Speed
—m/s
Distance
—m
If the pull is no bigger than friction, the trolley does not start.
Back to the Forces lesson