PASCO ME-9502 Statics System - Manual (Page 92)

S t a t i c s S y s t e m E x p . 1 6 : M o d i f i e d A t w o o d ’ s M a c h i n e
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3. Calculate and record the percent difference of the theoretical acceleration and the measured acceleration for
each trial.
4. For the Constant Total Mass data, calculate the net force (F
net
=
M x g) for each trial. Plot a graph of net
force (vertical axis) versus measured acceleration (horizontal axis).
Questions
1. Describe the graph of net force versus measured acceleration. What does the slope of this graph represent?
2. How does the plot of net force versus measured acceleration relate to Newton’s Second Law?
3. Compare the percent difference for the theoretical and measured accelerations. What are some reasons that
might account for the percent difference?
% diff=
a
theoretical
a
measured
–
a
theoretical
---------------------------------------------------------- 100
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