Investigative Question

8/8/2019 Investigative Question

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Investigative Question

How does the mass and the force applied of a

moving object affect its acceleration?

Hypothesis

I think that increasing the force applied and mass

does increase acceleration

Method

Apparatus

Toy truck (1)

Elastic bands (6)

Stopwatch (1)

Plank (1)

Sandpaper

Nails (2)

Hammer


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Tin beans used for weights (3)

Pencil

Ruler

Paper

Method

1.Use sandpaper to smoothened plank to

minimize friction

2.Use hammer to place nails at the edge of the

plank


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3.Mark the plank with a pencil to determine the

starting line of the toy truck (this

measurement can be used to calculate the

accurate distance of the toy truck

4.Place the first elastic band on the nails and

dust the runway to avoid friction

5.Place first tin on toy truck and tighten with

elastic band for firmness

6.Pull toy truck back to starting line and

release (dont pull it back to far or elastic will

snap)

7.Use stopwatch to time the toy truck from

when it was released to when it exactly

stopped

8.Use ruler to measure distance between

starting line and the distanced the toy truck

travelled

9.Record all measurements accordingly on

paper

10. Repeat steps 6-9 to get a total of 3

measurements then divide by 3. This can

give you a rough estimate

11. Place second tin to first and tighten with

elastic band. Repeat steps 6-10


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12. Place third tin to the other two and

tighten with elastic band. Repeat steps 6-10

13. Place second elastic band to nails andrepeat steps 5-12

14. Place third elastic band to nails and

repeat steps 5-12

15. Check all your results and complete the

experiment

Variables

Force applied (elastic bands)


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Time (between when toy was released and

when it stopped)

Distance (between starting line and wheretoy stopped)

Mass (of toy and tin beans)

Independent Variables

Mass

Force applied

Dependant Variables

Time

Distance

Control Variables

There were no constant variables in my

experiment. Even force applied could not be the

same throughout the experiment. Only mass was

constant at certain times


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Results

Values taken of the mass of 1 tin when using 1 elastic band

Attempt Time Distance

1


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23Average

Values taken of the mass of 2 tins when using 1 elastic band

Attempt Time Distance123

Average

Values taken of the mass of 3 tins when using 1 elastic band


Average

Values taken of the mass of 1 tin when using 2 elastic bands


3Average

Values taken of the mass of 2 tins when using 2 elastic bands



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Average

Values taken of the mass of 3 tins when using 2 elastic bandsAttempt Time Distance123Average

Values taken of the mass of 1 tin when using 3 elastic bands

Attempt Time Distance123Average


Attempt Time Distance123Average




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Average

Discussion

Increasing the force and mass in my experiment

did cause a change in acceleration


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According to my results, it has proved Newtons

Second Law of Motion. The law states:

Whenever a resultant force is exerted on anobject, it causes the object to accelerate in the

direction of the resultant force. This acceleration

is directly proportional to the resultant force and

inversely proportional to the mass of an object.

Newton's second law of motion pertains to the

behavior of objects for which all existing forcesare not balanced. The second law states that the

acceleration of an object is dependent upon two

variables

The force acting upon the object and the

mass of the object.

The acceleration of an object depends

directly upon the net force acting upon the

object, and inversely upon the mass of the

object.

As the force acting upon an object is increased,

the acceleration of the object is increased. As the

mass of an object is increased, the acceleration

of the object is decreased.

Therefore my toy truck increased its acceleration

when I increased the force and decreased itsacceleration when I increased my mass.


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Evaluation

Although my experiment was successful, it was

not 100% accurate due to a lack of scientificequipment and conditions

I could not calculate the exact time between

when the toy truck was released to when it

stopped. Due to human error I could not stop

the watch fast enough

The applied forces were not constant. Eg

when I calculated acceleration for the

different masses using one elastic band, they

did not equal to each other

Times could not be accurate due to the force

of friction


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The surface area where I placed my plank

was uneven making it unbalanced

The elastic bands I used were to weak tohandle the amount of tension and snapped

becoming frail

Bibliography

Britannica 2008 encyclopaedia

Study and Master Physical Science Gr 11

Mr Y Govender for Newtons ii Law

http/www.physicsclassroom.com


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