Physics lab report

Experiment 2: Varied mass of the moving system.

Mass of the cart, M =

Mass of the hanger, m =

III. Data Analysis.

State all values with appropriate units!

Experiment 1: Determination of the mass of the moving system.

v The gravitational force that appears in equation (4) was calculated in Logger Pro as follows:

(Show equation)

v From the slope of the plot “acceleration vs. gravitational force” the mass of the moving system can be determined as follows:

(Show equation and sample calculation)

v The uncertainty in the slope of the graph “acceleration vs. gravitational force” propagates into an error of the experimentally determined mass of the system as shown below:

(Show equation and sample calculation)

v The discrepancy between the experimentally determined mass of the system and its actual value has been calculated to be:

(Show equation and sample calculation)

Experiment 2: Determination of the gravitational acceleration g.

v For each run separately the value of the acceleration due to gravity was determined as shown in the example below:

(Show equation and sample calculation)

v The final experimental value of g was calculated as the mean value of all 6 runs :

(Show equation and sample calculation)

v The uncertainty in the experimental gravitational acceleration equals the standard deviation in the average g value as determined by Logger Pro:

(Explain the reasoning)

v The discrepancy between the experimental and the theoretical (expected) value of gravitational acceleration is:

(Show equation and sample calculation)

IV. Results.

State all values with uncertainties and appropriate units!

V. Discussion & Conclusion.

(Follow the general directions given in the Syllabus and describing how the Discussion and Conclusion section should be composed. In particular explain the relationship you recorded between acceleration and the force of gravity on the hanging mass and what this implies. Also explain why the slope has slightly bigger value when the cart moves toward motion sensor when compared to when it moves away. Explain the nature of errors and reasons for discrepancies between your experimental and theoretical results. Include a paragraph that states whether Newton’s Second Law of Motion held based on your experimental data from both parts.)

To complete this worksheet you must also attach the following printouts signed by your TA:

· Data Table for Experiment 1 with columns showing: mass added to the hanger, the gravitational force on the hanging mass, the acceleration of the system.

· Graph displaying the acceleration of the system (y - axis) vs. gravitational force on the hanging mass (x - axis), with linear fit.

· Data table for Experiment 2 with columns showing: mass added to the hanger, acceleration of the system when the cart travels toward the notion sensor, acceleration of the system when the cart moves away from the motion sensor, average acceleration of the cart, experimental gravitational acceleration.

· Graph displaying statistics for the experimental gravitational acceleration.