Newton's Second Law = Excitement at its finest

          On Friday, we continued our lab from the previous days, reviewing the project, finishing up the Analysis questions and doing the Extensions portion of the assignment.

          In the Analysis section, using brain power we were able to determine that the slope of a force vs. acceleration graph has the units kilograms and therefore represents the mass of the object. 

If m= mass x= acceleration y= force and b= 0 we can determine Newtons Second Law:

y= mx+b

Force= Mass(Acceleration) + 0

Force= Mass x Acceleration

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Newton's Second Law

          In the Extensions portion of the lab we attached weights with an unknown mass to our cart and  moved the cart back and forth to generate a force vs. acceleration graph, which we would use to determine the total mass of our object. After much observation and a mishap with a broken sensor we were able to deduce that finding the slope of a force vs. acceleration graph is an accurate way to determine the mass of an object.  

          After our lab was completed we clarified and began taking notes on the newly learned Newton's Second Law. We found that: 

• If an unbalanced force acts upon an object then the object accelerates in the direction of the force.
• The smaller the mass, the more acceleration will occur.
• The larger the mass, the less acceleration will occur.

We also looked at a Force, Mass, Acceleration triangle:

Which was then followed by some examples:

Ex. What is the acceleration of a 1600Kg race car if the net force acting upon the car was 4500N [forward]?

Fnet = 4500 N [forward]       Fnet = ma         a = 4500 N [forward] / 1600Kg

m = 1600Kg                          a = Fnet /m       a = 2.8 m/s squared [forward]

a = ?

Newtons Second Law in Action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXgnIP4rMoI

Brittany is next :)