Physics Lab Report
Name
Lab Partners
Lab Experiment
Lab Date
ACCELERATION VS. FORCE
Block
Introduction: In this activity we are investigating the relationship between the accelerating force and the acceleration
of a cart.
Variables: (Must be measurable and specific)
Independent: force
Dependent: acceleration
Controlled variables (constants): cart mass
Experimental Group:
Control Group (if any): None
Hypothesis: (Predict the outcome of the experiment, must be in an “if…then” format.)
If the accelerating force is increased then the acceleration of the cart will increase proportionally.
Materials: (What equipment and materials did you need for this lab assignment? List the name and amount of each item
used.) 1 ramp, 1cart, 3 cart weights, 2 photo-gates, timer, 5,.49N weights, pulley, string, trip. Balance, stand,
Procedures: (What steps did you take to accomplish this lab assignment?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Place a table pulley on the end of the ramp.
Attach photo-gate A at the .10m mark and place photo-gate B at the .70m mark.
Place 3 cart weights on the cart. Use a balance to determine the mass of the empty cart and 3 cart weights. This combined
mass, cart plus the mass of the three weights, is recorded as the cart mass ( This will remain constant during this lab.)
Place the cart on the table opposite the pulley and attach a string to it. The string should hang over the pulley. The front of the
cart should face towards the pulley.
Hold the cart in place at the 0m mark. Hang a .49N weight on the pulley end of the string.
Now you are ready to collect data. Release the cart and record Time A, B, and AB.
Do step 6 again, 4more times, each time add another .49 N force to the pulley end of the string.( Keep in mind that you are
increasing the accelerating force by .49N. Be sure to record cumulative forces on your data chart.
Calculate Vi, Vf, and the acceleration of the cart for each trial. Record this on the data chart.
Plot a graph of Acceleration vs. Accelerating Force.
Data: (Record the data that is required at each step of the lab: tables, charts, graphs, sketches, etc.)
CART
CART
TIME
TIME
TOTAL
TRIAL
Accelerating
Vi
Vf
ACCELERATION
MASS
WING THROUGH THROUGH
ELAPSED
#
Force (N)
At A At B
(m/s2)
(Kg)
(m)
A (s)
B (s)
TIME (S)
1
.9557
.49
.05
.1798
.0702
.278 .712
1.259
.345
2
.9557
.98
.05
.1254
.0486
.399 1.03
.876
.720
3
.9557
1.47
.05
.1035
.0399
.483 1.25
.7247
1.06
4
.9557
1.96
.05
.0907
.0349
.551 1.43
.6236
1.39
5
.9557
2.45
.05
.0818
.0315
.611 1.59
.5731
1.55
Analysis: (Must be in paragraph form and in your own words. Using your data and completed lab questions, discuss
what happened in the lab. Give details on anything that went wrong.) As the accelerating force increased the acceleration
of the cart increased
Conclusion: (Must be in paragraph form and in your own words. Did your results support or refute your hypothesis?
What did you learn? What conclusions can you draw from the results of this lab assignment?) The data supported the
hypothesis. The slope of the graph shows the acceleration increased by .60m/s2 / Newton.
Acceleration (m/s/s)
Acceleration vs. Accelerating
Force
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0
1
2
Accelerating Force (N)
3