Experiment 101: Newton’s Second Law of Motion

Analysis

In the world of introductory physics, Newton's second law is one of

the most important laws because it shows the relationship between forces

and motion. It also allows you to calculate the acceleration (and therefore

velocity and position) of an object with known forces. Furthermore,

Newton’s second law of motion is under the study of dynamics, which is

the study of relationships of motion to the forces that cause it. We know

objects can only accelerate if there are forces on the object. Newton's second

law tells us exactly how much an object will accelerate for a given net force.

The Newton’s Laws of Motion is the foundation of the study of classical

mechanics (or Newtonian mechanics), a branch of physics that deals with

the motion of bodies based on the Laws of Motion by Sir Isaac Newton.

Classical mechanics also describes the motion of macroscopic objects, from

projectiles to parts of machinery, and astronomical objects, such as

spacecraft, planets, stars and galaxies. Furthermore, it also describes the

motion of point masses, or infinitesimally small object, and rigid bodies. In

reality, there is no such thing as true point masses or perfect rigid. Thus,

with the help of classical mechanics, it is possible to describe the motion of

objects from molecules to galaxies. In addition, it effectively describes a

system regardless of quantum or relativistic effects. A key concept in

studying classical mechanics and Newton’s Laws of Motion is the concept

of forces.

Figure 1. Illustration of the Definition of Force

In physics, force is simply the push or pull on an object with mass

that causes it to change velocity (to accelerate). Force represents as a vector,

which means it has both magnitude and direction. It also pertains to any

influence that causes a change in an object’s state of motion. In addition, it

is an interaction between two bodies or between a body and its

environment, as shown in Figure 1. Force has some of the following

properties; (1) It is a push or pull, (2) A force is an interaction between two

objects or a body and its environment, and (3) It is a vector quantity. There

are two main groups of forces – contact forces and long-range forces.

Contact force is a force that is produced when there is direct contact

between two interacting bodies; meanwhile, long-range force is a force that

is produced when one body influences the state of motion of another body

even if these two bodies are separated by empty space. A good example of

contact force is applied force and normal force. For long-range force,

electric force and weight are two good examples. Aside from contact and

long-range forces, a force can be named as concurrent force or

nonconcurrent force. Concurrent forces are a force whose lines of action

intersect at a common point; this force is common seen on scenarios

involving rectilinear motion. On the other hand, nonconcurrent forces are a

force whose lines of action do not intersect at a common point, which is

commonly seen on situations involving rotary motion.

 For us to fully understand the theory and concept of forces, it is

essential for us to know the different types/kinds of forces first. There are

four common types of forces:

Normal Force, Weight (or

Figure 2. The Four Common Types of Forces; (a) Normal force, (b)

Friction force, (c) Tension force, and (d) Weight

Gravitational Force), Friction Force, and Tension; these four common types

of forces are illustrated in Figure 2. Aside from the four common types,

there is also compression force. Weight is defined as the force of

gravitational attraction between the Earth and the object. It is given by the

product of the mass of the object and the acceleration due to gravity, which
is approx. -9.8 m/s2. Weight is always towards the ground. Normal force is

defined is the force produced when a body presses against a surface, in

which it is trying it to prevent the body from going through the surface.

Normal forces are always perpendicular outwards with respect to the

surface. It is important to note that if the body does not go through the

surface, the magnitude is then equal to the magnitude of the force by which

the body is pressed against the surface. The next kind of force is friction,

which is a force that arises when two surfaces rub against each other. There

are two types of friction force: Static friction force and Kinetic friction force.

Static friction is defined as the friction force that opposes impending

motion. It increases in response to any increase in the impending motion

until a maximum value is reached. Meanwhile, kinetic friction is the

friction force that opposes existing motion between two surfaces. In

addition, in terms of its value, it is constant, but it is independent of the

relative speed between the moving surfaces. Friction is independent of the

size of area of contact between the surfaces, and the normal force. More

about friction shall be discussed on the following chapter/experiment. The

fourth kind of force is tension that is a force present when a body is

stretched by an external force. Commonly, the body being describe here is

a string, rope, or cable. Tension opposes this external force to maintain the

body’s size and shape. Lastly, compression is a force that arises when a

body, commonly a pillar or block, is compressed by an external force.

Similar to tension, compression opposes this external force to maintain the

body’s size and shape. It is important to note that if the body being

stretched or compressed maintains its size and shape; thus,

tension/compression is equal to that of the deforming force.

With the full understanding of the key concepts about forces, it is

important to learn the foundation of classical mechanics – Newton’s Laws

of Motion. There are three Newton’s Laws of Motion. The First Law of

Motion states that an object will remain at rest or continue to move at a

constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force. In addition, it says

that a body acted on by no net force moves with a constant velocity and

zero acceleration. From these definitions, the Newton’s First Law of Motion

simply states that the net force on

Figure 3. Summary of the First Law
of Motion a system or body is equivalent to

zero or to no force present at all

(since some forces may cancel each other out). If the net force is zero, it is

said to be that the system or object is experiencing equilibrium. According

to the first Condition of Equilibrium, a system is said to be in a state of

equilibrium if and only if the net external force acting on the system is

equal to zero, as

regarded in

Equation (1).

In addition, a system in equilibrium that is not in motion is in a state

of Static Equilibrium. If the net force is equal to zero, it means that both the

x- and y-components of the force are also equal to zero. The First Law of

Motion is also called as the

Law of Inertia. Inertia is

defined as the tendency of a

body to keep moving once it

is set in motion as seen in the

summary of the first law of

motion shown in Figure 3.

The Second Law of Motion, or

also known as the Law of

Acceleration, tells that when a net external force acts on a body, the body

accelerates in the same direction of the force. Similarly, it is defined as the

net force acting on a body to accelerate in the same direction as the net

force. If the magnitude of the net force is constant, so is the magnitude of

the acceleration. In other words, the magnitude of the acceleration is

directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force acting on the body.

Commonly, the Second

Law of Motion is

commonly defined as Force is equal to the product of mass and

acceleration of an object, as shown in Equation (2).

Nonetheless, this definition is only a special case of the Second Law

of Motion in which the mass is constant. Mass (m), or inertial mass, is

defined as the constant ratio of the magnitude of the net force (F) to the

magnitude of the acceleration (a). The SI unit for mass is kilogram; thus,

the SI unit for the net force is kg*m/s2, or Newton (N). One newton is the

amount of net force that gives an acceleration of 1 meter per second

squared to a body with a mass of 1 kilogram. With all of these ideas, it is

possible to give the formal definition of the Second Law of Motion in

relation to Equation (2), which is “If a net external force acts on a body on a

body, the body accelerates. The direction of acceleration is the same as the

direction of the net force. The mass of the body times the acceleration of the

body equals the net force vector”.

As stated above, the Equation (2) is only a special case of the second

law of motion in which the mass is constant. Using the formal definition of

the second law of motion in terms of momentum, it is possible to yield the

same equation in Equation (2). Momentum (p) is defined as the product of

mass and velocity, as shown in Equation (3).

Using the

definition of momentum, the Second Law of Motion can be expressed in

terms of

net force

is equal to

the derivative of momentum (p).

Since most objects has a constant mass, (dm/dt) is equal to zero.

 Simplifying the equation and applying the definition of acceleration

from Kinematics, the equation can then be expressed as the similar

equation shown in Equation (2).

The Law of

Action-Reaction, or the Third Law of Motion, simply states that for every

action there is an equal but opposite reaction. Formally, it tells that “If body

A exerts a force on body B (an “action”), then body B exerts a force on body

(a “reaction”). These

two forces have the

same magnitude but

are opposite in direction. These two forces act on different bodies”. This

definition is better illustrated by the equation in Equation (7).

In the experiment that we have conducted, the main objective is to

analyze the concepts and theories covered by Newton’s Second Law of

Motion which states that a net force is required for a body to have
acceleration. If a net force is applied on a body, the body will accelerate in

the direction of the net force. The acceleration of the body is also directly

proportional to the net force but inversely proportional to its mass.

Experiment 101: Newton’s Second Law of Motion is divided into two

parts with each having its own objectives. The materials needed for this

experiment is one piece of dynamic track with pulley, one piece of

dynamics cart, a 1.5m string, two pieces of photogates, a smart timer, a set

of weights, and a weight hanger. It is important to keep in mind that these

materials are very delicate and needs extensive care is needed when

handling these materials while conducting the experiment. Furthermore,

Figure 6
make sure to clean the surface of the dynamic track in order to remove dust

and other particles, be extra careful on to the pulley, photogates and smart

timer to avoid any damages, and to make sure that correct voltage source is

used for the smart timer. The materials needed for the experiment are

shown in Figure 5.

The first part which is Part A of the experiment, will be observing the

constant mass, and the changing net force. Its objective is to verify the

direct proportionality of acceleration and net force if the mass of the body

is constant, and to verify the inverse relationship of acceleration and mass

with a constant net force. As illustrated on Figure 6.

Start by placing the dynamic track on the lab table horizontally then

place the dynamics cart gently onto the track. The indicator when the track

is already horizontal is to test if the cart is moving. If it’s moving, then the

track is not place horizontally, but if the cart does not move, then the track

is horizontally placed. Under the m1 on table 1, write the mass of the

dynamics cart. Set the photogate number 1 on the dynamics track at 20-cm

mark and the photogate number 2 at 70-cm track. In Table 1, write under S

the distance traveled by the cart. Plug in photogate number 1 at the first

slot of the smart timer then the photogate number 2 at the second slot. Turn
on the smart timer then press “Select Measurement” button until it shows

“Time”. To set the mode, press “Select Mode” button until it shows “Time:

Two Gates.” Tie the end of the string to the cart and the other end to the

weight hanger. At the end of the dynamics track, set the cart and over the

pulley, place the weight hanger. Under m2 in Table 1, use a total mass of

20g for the hanging weight. Release the cart. Then, write the time of travel

under t in Table 1 by reading it the time of travel from the smart timer.

Repeat the steps, this time, with a mass of 60g and 100g. In table 1, write

the data that has been observer in the appropriate spaces. Compute the

accepted value using Accepted Value of the Acceleration equation and the

experimental value of acceleration equation. Finally, compute the

percentage error for each trial.

These are the equations we used in order to compute the data needed

for the Part A of this experiment:

Accepted Value of the Acceleration

m2 g
a=
m1 +m 2

Experimental value of the acceleration

2S
a=
t2
 Percentage Error

Value /¿
¿ Experimental Value− Accepted x 100 % ¿
Accepted Value

PART A. TABLE 1. CONSTANT MASS, CHANGING NET FORCE

Mass of Cart, m1 = 0.5048 kg
Distance Traveled, s = 0.5000 m
Acceleratio
Total Acceleration
Net force, Time of n (exp.
TRIAL hanging (accepted % Error
m2g travel, t value),
mass, m2 value), a
a
1 0.0200 kg 0.1962 N 0.3739 m/s2 1.7873 s 0.3130 m/s2 16.29%
2 0.0600 kg 0.5886 N 1.0421 m/s2 1.1650 s 0.7368 m/s2 29.30%
3 0.1000 kg 0.9810 N 1.6220 m/s2 0.8568 s 1.3622 m/s2 16.01%

According to the data that we have gathered on Part A. Table 1, as

the net force increases, so is the experimental value of the acceleration. In

the first trial, the net force and the experimental value of the acceleration

were calculated to be 0.196 N and 0. 0.3130 m/s2, respectively. The

dynamics cart with a total hanging mass of 0.020 kg took 1.7873s to cover

the distance between the two photogates. Since the net force was low, the

cart travelled the longest which resulted to a low acceleration. The accepted

value of the acceleration was calculated to be 0.3739 m/s 2 yielding a 16.29

% of the percentage error.

 On the following trial, the net force was greater, and the experimental

value of the acceleration increased and were calculated to be 0.5886 N and

0.7368 m/s2, respectively. The total hanging mass was changed to 0.0600

kg. Due to a higher net force, the dynamics cart took only 1.1650s to travel

the distance and was noticed to be faster compared to the first trial with

lower hanging mass. With this, it can be implied that the dynamics cart

accelerated. The increase also resulted to a higher accepted acceleration

which was calculated to be 1.0421 m/s^2. However, the percentage error in

this trial increase to 29.30 % which is worse than the first because the

higher the percentage error is, the less accurate the data are.

On the third trial, the net force and the experimental value of the

acceleration were calculated to be the highest with a value of 0.9810 N and

1.3622 m/s^2, respectively. The total hanging mass was changed to 0.1000

kg, which was also observed to have the heaviest total hanging mass

compared to the first and second trial. In consequence, the cart took only

0.8568s which was recorded have the fastest acceleration among the three

attempts. The increase also resulted to a higher accepted value of the

acceleration which was calculated to be 1.6220 m/s 2, yielding a low

percentage error of 16.01 %, which is the lowest of the three trials.

 The second part of Experiment 101 which is Part B, will be observing

the constant net force, and changing mass. Its objective is to verify the

inverse proportionality of acceleration and mass if the net force is constant,

and to verify the inverse relationship of acceleration and mass with a

constant net force.

For the first trial, get the mass of the cart and release the cart. Observe

and write the time of travel under the t in table 2. For trials 2-3, add masses

of 100 g and 300 g to the cart, and record these masses under m2 in table 2.

After getting all the data, compute for the accepted value of the

acceleration, the experimental value of the acceleration, and the percentage

of error for each trial.

These are the equations we used in order to compute the data needed

for the Part B of this experiment:

Accepted Value of the Acceleration

m2 g
a=
m1 +m 2

Experimental value of the acceleration

2S
a=
t2
Percentage Error

Value /¿
¿ Experimental Value− Accepted x 100 % ¿
Accepted Value

PART B. TABLE 2. CONSTANT NET FORCE, CHANGING MASS

Total hanging mass, m2 = 0.1000 kg Net Force, m2g = 0.9810
N Distance Traveled, s = 0.500 m
Acceleration Acceleration

Mass of cart + (accepte Time of (exp.

%
TRIAL
mass added, m1 d value), travel, t value), Error
a a
1 0.5048 kg 1.6220 m/s2 0.7604 s 1.7295 m/s2 6.63%
2 0.6048 kg 1.3919 m/s2 0.8021 s 1.5543 m/s2 11.67%
3 0.8048 kg 1.0842 m/s2 0.9163 s 0.1910 m/s2 8.97%
 Figure 7

According to the data that we’ve gathered which are encoded on part

B table 2, as the mass of the dynamics cart is increasing, the acceleration is

decreased. As shown on figure 7. In the first trial, the dynamic cart was

recorded to have a mass of 0.5048 kg while the experimental value of the

acceleration is calculated to be 1.7295 m/s 2. Given the mass of the dynamic

cart, it took 0.7604s to travel the distance between the two points. It

resulted to an accepted acceleration of 1.6220 m/s^2, yielding a percentage

error of 6.63 %.
 On the second trial, the dynamics cart’s mass was increased by 0.6048

kg resulting to an experimental value acceleration of 1.5543 m/s 2. The

recorded time the dynamics cart travelled increased and was observed to

be slower compared to the first trial. The changes resulted to 1.3919 m/s 2

accepted acceleration with a calculated 11.67 % percentage error.

On the third trial, the mass of the dynamic cart was increased by

0.3kg resulting to an experimental value acceleration of 1.620m/s^2. Since

the mass of the dynamic cart in this trial is the heaviest, the time it took to

cover the distance was recorded to be 0.7857s and was observed to be the

slowest among the three. In relation, it resulted to a lower accepted value

acceleration of 1.067m/s^2 with a calculated percentage error of 51.83%.

Conclusion
 On part A, the masses used such as the mass of hanging weights

were constant, but the net force was inconstant because of different weights

used on each trial. The data showed that the acceleration of the cart

increased when the mass of the hanging weight also became heavier.

Therefore, it was determined through solving using the equations given

that when then net force increases, the acceleration increases too. In

conclusion, the net force applied to the body is directly proportional to the

acceleration.

On part B, the mass of the cart were increasedin each trial while the

mass of the hanging weight remained constant. The data showed that the

acceleration of the cart decreased when weight was added. The results
showed that the acceleration decreased as the mass of the hanging weight

remained constant. Therefore, the mass of the object is inversely

proportional to its acceleration.

Therefore, it can be concluded that the greater the net force acting on

the object, the greater its acceleration, and simultaneously, the greater the

object's mass, the larger the force is required to accelerate it. This suggest

that there is a reasonable correlation between the net force acting on an

object and its acceleration, while an inverse or negative correlation between

the object's mass and its acceleration is observed. The net force applied to

the body is directly proportional to the acceleration, and the mass of the

object is inversely proportional to its acceleration.