Physic
Physics Laboratory Report Sample
PHY 223 Lab Report Newton's Second Law Your Name: Partner's Full Name(s): Date Performed: Date Due: Date submitted: Lab Section: (number) Instructor: (Name)
Introduction We verified Newton's Second Law for one-dimensional motion by timing an accelerated glider moving along a flat track. We varied both the accelerating force and the mass of the glider. We found that for a given force the acceleration of the glider was inversely proportional to the mass of the glider, in agreement with Newton's Second Law. Experimental Procedure Description of the Apparatus: A sketch showing the essential elements of the apparatus is presented in Figure 1. below:
Figure 1 Experimental set-up
The experiment was conducted using a glider (a low-friction cart) rolling on a smooth, flat, level track. One end of a string was attached to the front of the glider. From the glider the string passed over a pulley mounted at the end of the track, and then downward to a weight hanger hooked to its lower end. Because of the very low friction of the glider's wheels and of the pulley, any weight hung on the string resulted in a horizontal force pulling the glider along the track. By varying either the amount of mass placed on the weight hanger or the amount of extra mass loaded on the glider, we could vary the acceleration of the glider. Outline of technique: Two photogates were set alongside the track about 0.5 m apart. They were connected through an interface to a desktop computer. Software running on the computer continuously monitored each photogate's light beam. The cart was released from rest near one of the photogates. As it was accelerating it passed through both photogate beams. It was stopped just before it reached the pulley. Whenever a metal strip ("flag") attached to the glider passed through a light beam, the beam was interrupted for the amount of time required for the flag to pass by. This time interval was measured by the software, which
PHY 223 Lab Report Newton's Second Law Your Name: Partner's Full Name(s): Date Performed: Date Due: Date submitted: Lab Section: (number) Instructor: (Name)
Introduction We verified Newton's Second Law for one-dimensional motion by timing an accelerated glider moving along a flat track. We varied both the accelerating force and the mass of the glider. We found that for a given force the acceleration of the glider was inversely proportional to the mass of the glider, in agreement with Newton's Second Law. Experimental Procedure Description of the Apparatus: A sketch showing the essential elements of the apparatus is presented in Figure 1. below:
Figure 1 Experimental set-up
The experiment was conducted using a glider (a low-friction cart) rolling on a smooth, flat, level track. One end of a string was attached to the front of the glider. From the glider the string passed over a pulley mounted at the end of the track, and then downward to a weight hanger hooked to its lower end. Because of the very low friction of the glider's wheels and of the pulley, any weight hung on the string resulted in a horizontal force pulling the glider along the track. By varying either the amount of mass placed on the weight hanger or the amount of extra mass loaded on the glider, we could vary the acceleration of the glider. Outline of technique: Two photogates were set alongside the track about 0.5 m apart. They were connected through an interface to a desktop computer. Software running on the computer continuously monitored each photogate's light beam. The cart was released from rest near one of the photogates. As it was accelerating it passed through both photogate beams. It was stopped just before it reached the pulley. Whenever a metal strip ("flag") attached to the glider passed through a light beam, the beam was interrupted for the amount of time required for the flag to pass by. This time interval was measured by the software, which