Transcript The Amazing Satellite: How does the angle affect the

How does the mass affect the
acceleration of an object on
an angled track ?
Student Name
House, Grade
February 8, 2008
Purpose
• To discover whether skiers on slopes
may want to carry more weight if it
helps them travel faster down a hill
• Implication: Scientists want to
control the acceleration rockets that
enter the earth’s atmosphere. This
may be done by changing their
weight.
Background
• 2nd Law is Newtonian
principle of force equal to
mass times acceleration
• Mass (kg) is the amount of
matter an object has
• Acceleration (m/s^2) is a
change in velocity
• Weight (N) is the force gravity
pulls an object towards the
earth


F  m a
v 2  v1
a
t
W  m g
Hypothesis
• If the mass of an object moving down a
track increases, then the acceleration of
the object will proportionally increase.
Schematic Diagram
•
Procedure
1.
2.
3.
4.
Release car from the top of ramp
Record time
Add 10 kg of mass
rerun experiment
Constants
A ngle (deg)
Distance (m)
Surf ace Area (m^2)
Shape
40
0 .5
4
s phere
Model
• Free Body Diagram
W  m g
 20 kg 9.8 m/s2  196 N
a


Mass (kg)
20
30
40
Dat a : Acceleration
(m/s^2)
5 .2
5 .5
5 .4
Wx
solve for
W
W x  W sin  196 sin 40  126
[ W x  m  a ] solve for a
W 126
m
a x 
 6.3 2
m
20
s
sin 
Model : A ccelerat ion
(m/s^2)
6 .3
6 .3
6 .3
Acceleation
(m/s^2)
Data v. Model
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
10
20
30
40
Mass (kg)
DATA COLLECTED
MODEL
50
Acceleration (m/s^2)
Mass v. Acceleration
9
8
outliers
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
10
20
30
Mass (kg)
40
50
Data Analysis
• Pattern:
– The mass was linearly correlated with acceleration
m /s
(slope of 0 kg ).
2
• Conceptually:

– The data was consistent with the behavior of objects
under the force of gravity. The acceleration did not
change because only the force of gravity acted on
the mass.
• Comparison to Model:
– The data was similar to the model. However, the
data was slower than the model due to the friction
on the track.
Conclusion
• Hypothesis was incorrect. The
acceleration was constant and did not
change with mass.
Future Work
• To minimize experimental error
1. Wipe the the track each time
2. Increase the number of trials
3. Use the same method to release the car
• Questions after experiment
?
?
?
How does the angle affect the acceleration?
How does the surface area affect the
acceleration of the car?
How does the radius of the wheel affect the
acceleration of the car?