Pasco Scientific ME-6956, Instruction Manual And Experiment Manual

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PAScar Accessory Track Set (2.2 Meter) 012-07558A
®
Experiment 7: Newton’s Second Law
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
– PAScar with Mass (ME-6950)
– Dynamics Track
– Stopwatch (SE-8702B)*
Purpose
The purpose is to show how the acceleration of an object is dependent on force and
mass.
Procedure
1. Level the track by setting the car on the track to see which way it rolls. Adjust the
leveling feet to raise or lower the ends until the car placed at rest on the track will not
move.
2. To perform each of the following trials, cock the spring plunger on the car and place the
car at rest at the end of the track with the plunger against the end stop. Then release the
plunger by pressing the button on the car with a ruler. Observe the resulting acceleration.
This will be a qualitative measurement.
VARY THE FORCE: Perform the first trial with the spring plunger cocked to the first
possible position (the least compression), and then do two more trials increasing the force
applied to the car by increasing the compression of the spring plunger.
VARY THE MASS: For these trials, always cock the spring plunger to the maximum.
Observe the relative accelerations of the car alone and the car with one mass bar in it. If
additional masses are available, use them to increase the mass for additional trials.
Data Analysis
1. Does the acceleration increase or decrease as the force is increased?
2. Does the acceleration increase or decrease as the mass is increased?
Question
From the results of this experiment, can you deduce the equation that relates acceleration
to mass and force?
*Not included in Track Set