Class Group : S48

Lab Group’s No : 3

FOUNDATION PHYSICS I
LABORATORY REPORT

Experiment NEWTON’S SECOND LAW OF MOTION

Name (Leader) MUHAMMAD IFWAT BIN BADLISHAH

Student ID 2023860346

Lab Instructor’s Name MADAM HASNORFIZA

Date of Experiment 9th OCTOBER 2023

Member 1 ALYAA MAISURAH BINTI AHMAD MARZUKI

Member 2 NUR ANIESYA ZULAIKHA BINTI KHAIRUL ANUAR

Member 3 NUR IRDINA SYAFIQAH BINTI MOHD SAFFREE

Member 4 ELVY TING

Marks

Comment
ABSTRACT

The aim of this experiment was to apply Newton's Second Law, F=ma, to determine the gravitational
acceleration (g) and various forces. Initially, we set up the dynamic cart track as the collision cart's path
and attached a string to the cart with mass, with the other end connected to hanging masses. Using a
photogate and smart timer, we measured the acceleration of the collision cart with mass. Ultimately,
we calculated the gravitational acceleration (g) by analyzing the graph, yielding a value of 9.0 m/s².
INTRODUCTION

Newton's Second Law of Motion, one of the foundational principles of classical mechanics,
introduced by Sir Isaac Newton in the 17th century, defines the relationship between force, mass, and
acceleration. This law is briefly expressed as F=ma, signifying that the force applied to an object is
directly proportional to the product of its mass and acceleration. This lab experiment aims to provide
a practical demonstration and validation of this fundamental law.The experiment is designed to
explore how varying forces and masses influence the acceleration of an object. By conducting
controlled experiments, we can quantitatively measure the effects of forces acting on objects with
different masses and, in the process, reaffirm the principles outlined in Newton's Second
Law.Throughout this report,the value of gravitational acceleration ,g can be determine by applying
Newton’s Second Law of motion and apply it to the equipment we used in the lab.
METHODOLOGY

The mass of the cart with picket fence, m₁ and the mass of the hanger is measured. The apparatus is set
up. The cart is placed 70 cm from the pulley on the track. A smart timer is connected to the photogate
and selects measurement “acceleration” and mode “one gate”. The acceleration,A value for 10g (m₂) is
recorded. The trial is repeated three times to get an accurate result. The steps is repeated using 20g,
30g, 40g and 50g
RESULTS

Acceleration (m/s2)
Total m2
Mass of Hanging mass, Reading Average
cart, m1 mass, m2 m1 + m2 m1 + m2 Reading
1 2 3
(kg) (kg) (kg) (kg)

0.268 0.015 0.283 0.050 0.519 0.529 0.513 0.518

0.268 0.025 0.293 0.090 0.843 0.843 0.843 0.84

0.268 0.035 0.303 0.120 1.112 1.120 1.120 1.117

0.268 0.045 0.313 0.140 1.407 1.418 1.396 1.407

0.268 0.055 0.323 0.170 1.579 1.592 1.592 1.588

The weight was hung to the end of the string and it was released to let the cart glide on the air track.
Masses from 0.01 kg to 0.05 kg were added continuously to the hanging plate that weighs 0.005 kg to
calculate the data on acceleration with different mass. The total masses of the cart, the weight hanger
and the weight mass were added and recorded.

In this experiment, the weight of the hanging mass provides the tension, T in the string, which helps
to accelerate the cart along the air track. Since the cart moves in a horizontal direction, we define +x to
the right and -x to the left as the direction of motion. The acceleration was calculated for each
measurement using Newton’s Second Law of Motion , F=ma .

Based on the information from the table, the total mass , m1 + m2 is obtained from the sum between
the mass of the cart, m1, and hanging mass, m2. The mass of the cart is constant which is 0.268g while
the hanging mass is added from 0.015 kg to 0.055 kg to the system. From the result obtained, we can
see that when the total mass added to the system increases, the acceleration of the cart also increases.
This will prove that the total mass added to the system is directly proportional to the acceleration of
the cart.As the cart passes through the photogate, the acceleration,a is recorded with 3 reading for each
masses to get the exact value by finding the average acceleration , (a1 + a2 + a3)/3. The result of the
acceleration for each mass is observed and recorded in the table.

𝑚
Then a graph is plotted based on the formula , a=g 𝑚 +𝑚
2
using the data on the table to create a graph of
1 2

acceleration vs mass with the slope of the graph obtained as the gravitational acceleration, g of the experiment.
−2
The gravitational acceleration, g obtained is 9.0𝑚𝑠 . Based on the true value of the gravitational acceleration,
the percentage error of the graph is 8.16%. Random errors in this experiment could be resulted from the
accuracy of the measurement device. The precision of the smart timer reading is the source of error in this
section of the experiment for the random error.
CONCLUSION

From this experiment, we may conclude that the acceleration,a of the cart is inversely proportional to
the hanging mass, m, using the equation F=ma from Newton's Second Law of Motion. We can infer
that the acceleration would increase if the mass decreased.It was possible to verify Newton's Second
𝑚
Law of Motion with the equation a=g 𝑚 +𝑚
2
. The gravitational acceleration, g is 9.0 m/s2 as
1 2

determined by the equation with an error percentage of 8.16%.

A system consisting of a cart of 200g mass on rough surface is connected with a light on a smooth
pulley to a hanging mass of 50g.
a) Referring to Figure 3.2,sketch and label the free-body diagram on a cart and on the hanging mass.
b)Write Newton's Law of motion equations for the system.
c) Calculate the acceleration,a of the system if the coefficient of kinetic friction,μk between the tyres
and the track is 0.2.
d) Calculate the tension,T on the string.
REFERENCES

1. Abd.Latif, A. W. (n.d.) - Foundation of Physics I (pp. 16-19) (2023)