Ray Huang

Period 5
9 November 2017
Modified Atwoods Lab

1
( 2 ) = (0.4637 2
) + (0.0233 2 )
()

2
(2 ) = (0.4706 ) () + (0.0754)
Conclusion:
The relationship between acceleration and mass is inversely proportional, whereas the
relationship between acceleration between acceleration and force is directly proportional. The
1
equation for acceleration vs. mass is (2 ) = (0.4637 ) () +
2

(0.5535 2 ). The slope (0.4637 ) represents the change in acceleration for every one
2

kilogram of mass added, which corresponds to the force applied to the system (0.5 N). The y-

intercept (0.0233 2 ) presents the acceleration when the mass is zero, which is close to zero

since an object with no mass will not have any acceleration. The equation for acceleration vs.

2
force is (2 ) = (0.4706 ) () + (0.0754), where the slope

2
(0.4706 ) represents the change in acceleration for every newton of force, which corresponds

to the inverse of the total mass of the system (2.21 kg). The general equation is = . There is

one new term in this lab: net force, which is defined as the sum of all forces acting on an object.
The physic concepts learned in this lab is that the heavier the object is, the slower it accelerates
with equal force applied, whereas the larger the force is applied to an object, the faster it
accelerates with equal mass. One possible experimental error is the slight friction between the
cars and the ramp or the ramp may have small bumps that may cause gradual change in the
acceleration or inconsistent acceleration.