Cart and Ball post

UFPM Challenge

A modified Atwood machine:

[Image upload of diagram]

In this lab, we were attempting to calculate two variables. The constant velocity of our moving cart, and the rate at which our cart on the track was accelerating due to the hanging weight which was attached.

Our cart’s track had no angle, so all we needed to find was the rate at which our weight (50g, 0.5n) was causing it to accelerate.

Thus, the following force diagram was created.

Please note the lack of friction, thus causing our diagram to be Unbalanced.

Thus, our diagram becomes an unbalanced force particle model. In order to solve for such a situation, we use the a(acceleration)=f_net/m(kg)

Thus, our following formula became a=0.5/.6394

As a result, a=.78 m/s²

We measured how far our change in x was, we discovered that it was 90 cm which equals .9m. When we input our known variables into the Change in X=vit+ at².

The final formula to solve for time is .9=.78t². As a result, our time was 1.15 s.

Part 2 was testing the velocity of our cart on the ground, and thus we solved for the velocity of our cart, finding that it was 0.3 m/s. Thus we multiplied 0.3*1.15s ending up with 34.5 centimeters away.

In order to test our conclusion, we let our ball drop when our cart had reached 34.5 cm’s away from the meeting point.

Once we tested our predicament, it was found to be correct.