College Physics
11th Edition
ISBN:9781305952300
Author:Raymond A. Serway, Chris Vuille
Publisher:Raymond A. Serway, Chris Vuille
Chapter1: Units, Trigonometry. And Vectors
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1CQ: Estimate the order of magnitude of the length, in meters, of each of the following; (a) a mouse, (b)...
Related questions
Question
What is the “theoretical slope” for “part 1 case” and "part 2 case"?

Transcribed Image Text:The motion of the system is analyzed by applying Newton's 2nd Law to each mass
separately. The string and the pulley are assumed to have negligible mass.
M
Above: horizontal force acting on the mass of the rider
Right: vertical forces acting on the hanging mass
T-Ma
If we assume the air track is frictionless, then the only force acting on the mass of the
rider, M, in the horizontal direction is the tension T in the string, so that Newton's 2nd Law
gives:
mg - T = ma
m
(2)
Considering the hanging mass, m, there are two forces acting on it in the vertical direction:
the tension T and the force of gravity mg. Newton's 2nd Law in this case gives:
(3)
Elimination of T between Equations (2) and (3) leads to
mg = (m + M)a
This is the equation you will work with in this experiment.
Ing
(4)
PART I: CONSTANT MASS, VARIABLE FORCE
In this case, the quantity m+M in Equation (4) will be kept constant, but different
combinations of m and M will be used for a number of different data taking runs (which
will improve the accuracy of the experiment). This implies that, as the hanging mass m
(and, therefore, accelerating force) varies, the acceleration a will vary. Equation (4) can
be viewed as a linear equation representing a straight line with mg as the dependent
variable, a as the independent variable, and m+M as the slope. You will use this fact in
testing Equation (4).
PART II: CONSTANT FORCE, VARIABLE MASS
In this case, the hanging mass m (and accelerating force mg) will be kept constant but the
rider mass M (and, therefore, the total mass m+M) will be varied for a number of different
data taking runs (again, for improving the accuracy of the experiment). In this scenario, it
is more convenient to rewrite Equation (4) in the form:
a = mg (¹M)
m+M/
(5)
Equation (5) can, again, be viewed as a linear equation representing a straight line but,
here, the acceleration a is the dependent variable, 1/(m+M) is the independent variable,
and the slope is mg.
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