Lab Investigation Topic 2.

2 Forces and Dynamics Determining g using Atwoods Machine DCP, CE Purpose: To determine the acceleration due to gravity, g, using Atwoods Machine.

Introduction Atwoods Machine is a simple machine, where a string connecting 2 different masses is looped over a pulley. This setup is similar to an elevator and counterweight system. Since the two masses are connected, their accelerations will be equal, but will have opposite directions. The larger mass will be accelerated down, while the smaller mass will be accelerated up. Since the tension force must be the same for each mass, we can create a net force equation for each mass. Larger mass: T - Mg = - Ma Smaller mass: T - mg = ma Subtracting the two equations, then simplifying, we derive the equation M- m a=g M +m In our lab investigation, we will keep the total mass constant and vary the difference in masses. If we replace M+m with mtotal, and M-m with m, we can rearrange our equation into g a= Dm mtotal Since this is a linear equation, we can graph m vs. a, and use the line of best fits slope to find an experimental value for g. To find acceleration, we will use Logger Pros video analysis software. This will allow us to track the motion of the masses over time and analyze it to find the acceleration. Materials: Lab stand and clamp Pulley Set of masses String 30 cm scale

Procedure:

Set up the Atwoods Machine as shown below. Start with 50g on the left and 70g on the right. Make sure your laptop only has Photo Booth running. Point your laptop camera directly at the Atwoods Machine. Make sure that the 30 cm scale is placed the same distance away from the camera as the Atwoods Machine. Begin recording your video. Move the larger mass up towards the pulley, then let go. Stop recording, and check that your video was recorded properly. Repeat these steps with the following masses on either side of the Atwoods Machine. Left Side Right Side 40 g 80 g 30 g 90 g 20 g 100 g 10 g 110 g Data Processing and Analysis: Import each video into Logger Pro. Using the video analysis tools, track the motion of the larger mass in each trial. Use the y position data to determine the vertical acceleration, a, of the larger mass in each trial. Record the acceleration for each m, and the uncertainties. Make a graph of a vs. m, including error bars. Make a line of best fit on that graph, and show the best fit lines equation. Using the error bars, find the uncertainty in the slope of the line of best fit. Using the slope of the line of best fit, find your experimental value for g. Find the percent error in your value for g. Using the error bars, find the uncertainty in the slope of the line of best fit. Make a conclusion about your experimental value for g using the percent error and percent uncertainty.