Newton's Second Law

0m
0.2m
0.4m
0.6m
0.8m
1.0m
2.0 kg
Time: 0.00 s
Velocity: 0.00 m/s

Experiment Instructions

Aim of the Experiment

You are investigating how the force applied on an object affects the acceleration

How to Use

  1. Set a mass for the trolley and keep it fixed while you vary the force across steps 2–6. You'll change the mass in step 8.
  2. Apply a force of 0.1 N to the trolley and click "Start Experiment" to begin the simulation
  3. The time taken for the trolley to travel 1 m and the final velocity of the trolley will be automatically recorded in the results table below
  4. Enter your calculated value of acceleration in the table
  5. Repeat three times and take an average
  6. Increase the force by 0.1 N and repeat until at least 5 different forces have been used
  7. Plot a graph of Force (N) against Average Acceleration (m/s²)
  8. Now change the mass and repeat. What happens to your Force vs Acceleration graph? What does this tell you about the relationship between mass and acceleration?

Results

# Mass (kg) Force (N) Time (s) Final Velocity (m/s) Your Calculated Acceleration (m/s²) Actions


How to Calculate Acceleration:

You can calculate acceleration using:

  • acceleration = change in velocity / time




Newton's Second Law

F
=
m
×
a