GCSE Physics Revision "Required Practical 7: Acceleration"

Summary

In this practical investigation, the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration is explored. Using a toy car, string, and mass system, the experiment first examines how varying the force (by changing the weight of the mass) affects the car's acceleration, keeping its mass constant. Then, it investigates how varying the car's mass affects acceleration, with a constant force applied. The results demonstrate Newton's second law of motion: acceleration is proportional to force and inversely proportional to mass. The video provides step-by-step guidance on conducting the experiment and recording accurate data for analysis.

Takeaways

• 😀 The experiment investigates how varying the force affects the acceleration of an object of constant mass.
• 😀 The second part of the investigation looks at how varying the mass of an object affects the acceleration produced by a constant force.
• 😀 The experiment uses a toy car attached to a string, with the string looped around a pulley and the other end attached to a 100g mass.
• 😀 The 100g mass provides the force acting on the toy car during the experiment.
• 😀 A timer is used to measure the time it takes for the car to pass each distance marker, such as every 10 cm.
• 😀 For more accurate results, recording the experiment with a mobile phone and playing it back can help in recording precise times.
• 😀 To investigate the effect of changing force, the experiment is repeated with decreasing mass on the end of the string (e.g., 80g, 60g, 40g, and 20g).
• 😀 The experiment considers the toy car, the string, and the mass at the end of the string as a single object for the purpose of the study.
• 😀 Newton’s second law of motion states that the acceleration of an object is proportional to the force applied, so a greater force results in greater acceleration.
• 😀 To explore the effect of varying mass, the experiment uses a constant force (e.g., 100g mass on the string) but changes the mass attached to the toy car (e.g., 200g).

Q & A

What is the purpose of this practical experiment?

The purpose of this practical is to investigate how varying the force and the mass of an object affect its acceleration, while keeping the mass or force constant in each part of the experiment.

What equipment is used in this practical experiment?

The equipment includes a toy car attached to a piece of string, a pulley, a 100-gram mass, a timer, and chalk lines drawn at equal intervals on the desk.

How is the force applied to the toy car?

The force is applied by the weight of the 100-gram mass, which is attached to the string. The weight of this mass provides the force acting on the toy car.

Why is a timer used in the experiment?

The timer is used to record the time it takes for the toy car to pass each distance marker, helping to measure its acceleration as it moves along the bench.

Why is recording the experiment on a mobile phone recommended?

Recording the experiment on a mobile phone allows for more accurate time measurements, as the video can be played back and the times recorded with precision.

What happens to the force as the mass on the string decreases?

As the mass on the string decreases, the weight and thus the force acting on the toy car also decrease.

What is the main focus of the experiment when varying the force on the toy car?

The main focus is to investigate how changing the force (by varying the mass on the string) affects the acceleration of the toy car, while keeping the overall mass of the system constant.

Why do we consider the toy car, string, and mass as one object in this experiment?

Since the toy car, string, and mass are all attached to each other, they move as a single system, and we count them as one object to maintain consistency in the mass being studied.

How does Newton's second law of motion relate to the experiment?

Newton's second law tells us that acceleration is proportional to force and inversely proportional to mass. This law explains the observed results where acceleration increases with force and decreases with mass.

How is the experiment used to investigate the effect of mass on acceleration?

To investigate how mass affects acceleration, the force is kept constant, and the mass attached to the toy car is gradually increased. The time it takes for the car to accelerate is recorded, showing how acceleration decreases as mass increases.