Lab 3: Newtons Second Law of Motion

Introduction
Newtons three laws of dynamics describe the causes of motion as forces and lay out how these
forces interact with objects to create motion. The First Law of Dynamics states that a force is necessary
to change the motion of an object, because objects have a property called inertia which resists changes to
their motion. For objects moving in a straight line, their inertia is equal to their mass.
We already know that in order to change the velocity of an object we would need to accelerate it,
so forces must be related to an objects acceleration. This relationship is described by the Second Law of
Dynamics, which can be simply stated as:

FNet = ma




where FNet is the net force applied to an object of mass m and a is the acceleration of the object. The net
force is the sum of all of the external force vectors acting on the object, and it is the resultant force vector
that causes the object to accelerate. In this equation we see that the amount of acceleration a force
provides is scaled by the mass (inertia) of the object, a greater inertia will result in less acceleration for a
given force while a smaller inertia will result in greater acceleration from the same force. It is important
to note that this is a vector equation, and the direction of the force and acceleration vectors must point in
the same direction.
Finally, the Third Law of Dynamics states for every force there exists a second force of equal
magnitude pointing in the opposite direction. When a person applies a force to an object in order to
change its motion, the object exerts an equal force back on the person. The differences between the
motion of the person and the object depends on the difference between their masses.

Experiment Variable Forces

A Force Sensor and an Accelerometer will be used to measure the force on a small cart
simultaneously with the carts acceleration. Using these sensors, the relationship between the net force on
the cart, its mass, and its acceleration can be determined. This relationship is Newtons 2nd Law of
Motion.

Procedure
[1]

Open the file Newtons 2nd Law.

[2]

Measure and record the mass of the cart with the force sensor and accelerometer attached.

[3]

Verify the following:

The track is level.

The Force Sensor is set to 10 N and connected to Channel 1 on the LabPro interface.

The Low-g Accelerometer is connected to Channel 2 on the interface.

The hook of the Force Sensor is oriented along the axis of the track. The wheels of the cart should
be properly position in the grooves of the track.

[4]

The Accelerometer is oriented so the arrow is

horizontal and parallel to the direction that the
cart will move.

The wires to both sensors are hanging freely so

they will not interfere with the motion of the cart
(see Figure 3.1).
Place the cart on the track. Zero both detectors.

[5]
Click the Collect button. Gently pull
horizontally on the hook attached to the force sensor.
[6]
Examine the data in your graphs. The top-right
quadrant of the force vs. acceleration graph should
resemble a straight line. To fit a straight line to this
data, click on the graph and select the data in the first
quadrant and zoom in. Select Analyze Linear Fit
to show the results of the linear fit to the data.

Fig. 3.1: The cart with the accelerometer and

force sensor attached.

[7]
Repeat the experiment, but rather than pull the cart in a straight line, use the hook on the force
sensor to pull and push the cart in a back-and-forth motion. Again, examine your data and fit a linear
function to the force vs. acceleration graph.

Data Analysis
Using the graphs, estimate the acceleration of the cart when a force of 1.0 N, 1.5 N, 2.0 N, etc. is
acting upon it. Record the forces and accelerations in your lab report.
Note the shape of the force vs. time and the acceleration vs. time graphs. Is the acceleration
maximum or minimum when the force is maximum? (I.e., is the relationship between force and
acceleration direct or indirect/inverse?) What is the constant of proportionality which scales the
relationship?
What is the slope of the force vs. acceleration graph? Why? What are the units of the slope of the
force vs. acceleration graph?
What is the error in your determination of the carts mass for each trial? Which one provides a
better measurement? Why?

Additional Analysis
Calculate and plot the change in acceleration (known as the jerk). Describe any noticeable effects
on the jerk that you can determine from your plot.
Determine the strength of the force of friction exerted on the cart as it moves (either
experimentally, theoretically, or both). How much does the friction contribute to the error of your
measurements?

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Experiment Constant Force with Tension

In this part of the experiment, a more complicated
situation involving Newtons 2nd Law will be investigated.
A schematic of the setup is shown in Figure 3.2.
A hanging mass will apply a force to the cart. As in
Part 1, the cart will be instrumented with the Force Sensor
and the Accelerometer. When the mass is released the
tension in the string, T, will be measured by the Force
sensor. The acceleration of the entire system will be
measured by the Accelerometer.
Fig. 3.2: Schematic of the vectors associated
with the cart and hanging mass system.

Procedure
[1]
Weigh the mass of the cart with the Force Sensor
and Accelerometer attached. Record the value.
[2]

Open the file Newtons 2nd Law.

[3]
Insure the correct setup of the apparatus using the list of items to verify in the procedure of Part 1
and zero the sensors. Attach a mass hanger and 50g of mass to the string on the cart. Position the string
over the pulley.
[4]

Click the Collect button and release the cart.

[5]

Examine your data and determine whether additional trials are necessary.

Data Analysis
Determine and highlight the region on your graphs where the mass is falling and find the mean
values of the force and acceleration during this time. What does the mean force represent?
Make free body diagrams of the hanging mass and the cart and include them with your report.
Using Newtons 2nd Law and the free body diagrams, calculate the theoretical value for the tension
in the string and the acceleration of the system. (You should get two simple simultaneous equations
which you will have to solve. Refer to your text book for more details.)
Determine the error in your measurements by comparing the calculated and measured tension and
acceleration.
If the cart had a constant speed before the mass is released, would this change the results? Explain
your reasoning.

Additional Analysis
Why is the tension in the string not equal to the gravitational force of the falling mass?
Can you create an equation which determines the acceleration of the cart as a function of the
amount of the falling mass?

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(DIY)
DIY) Experiment Force on a Projectile
For this Do-It-Yourself Experiment, you need to design an experiment in which you measure
the amount of force exerted on a projectile as it is launched. The projectile launchers will be the Nerf
guns that have been used in the previous lab.
There are multiple routes that you could take to measure the necessary data. You should
determine a method for directly measuring the force being exerted on the dart, and record the force as a
function of time. You should also measure the acceleration and mass of the projectile so that you will be
able to compare your measurements using two different techniques. You will have the use of a force
sensor, accelerometer, motion detector, and a photogate.
The data analysis will also be up to you and what you think is important to discuss.

Additional Analysis
Using unit analysis, what is the integral of the force vs. time curve ( F t ) and what does it
represent?

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