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Lab 2: Forces in One Dimension

Sheyla Alcala
Professor Kiledjian
Physics 11
September 10, 2024
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PURPOSE
The purpose of this lab was to have a better understanding of forces by having visual stimulation.

It allowed us to understand how force affects the direction and speed of an object. As well as

understanding the major affect the littlest change can have. The purpose of the lab was also to

experiment with how force and friction can change the acceleration, velocity, and position of an

object.

EQUIPMENT

These are the following items I used for this lab:

 Laptop & Wi-Fi

 Calculator

 Paper & Pencil

 PhET Stimulation website

 Professor Kiledjian’s zoom post.

 The objects in the stimulation (File Cabinet, Refrigerator, Textbook, Ramp, and graphs)

PROCEDURE

For part 1 of this lab, I first had to open the online stimulator and check the worksheet which had

the directions. I then started off with the file cabinet and made sure everything was in the right

position, such as, the position of the cabinet being at -7.0m, turning the friction off, and setting

the applied force to 400N. Next, I allowed the stimulation to play to get my results for my first

four graphs. After my stimulation played for four seconds, I paused it, wrote down important

information, did calculations if needed, and continued. I then had to make a prediction and did a

similar process for the next item in the stimulation, a refrigerator. I proceeded to change the
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object back to the file cabinet, turned the friction on and continued to make more calculations as

well as reading graphs. I continued the same process for another object, the textbook.

For the 2nd part of this lab, I had to open a different stimulator, called “The Ramp”. I continued to

follow professor’s directions and choose the file cabinet as the object, set the degrees of the ramp

to 20 degrees and got my first two values. I then had to show why those two values were

significant to the process and where they came from. After, I changed the applied force to the file

cabinet on the ramp, then calculated the net force and ended the lab by calculating how many

seconds it would take for the cabinet to reach the end of the ramp.

DATA

File Cabinet

Net Force Acceleration Velocity Position

8
F = 400 N A = 2 m/s2

400 2 V = 2t -7 X = t2

4s 4s 4s 2s
4s

Refrigerator

Net force Acceleration Velocity Position

4
F = 400 N A = 1 m/s2 V= t x = 0.5t
0

40 1

4s 2s
4s 4s
4s
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WORKSHEET QUESTIONS

Part 1: Forces in One Direction

6. Predict how the four graphs will change (or not change) above if you select the

refrigerator but leave the other settings the same.

 Total force- I believe the force will stay the same.

 Acceleration- I believe the acceleration will be smaller than the file cabinet because it

has a larger mass.

 Velocity- I believe that the velocity will also decrease given that the acceleration slowed

down.

 Position- I believe the position of the refrigerator will have a higher gravitational force

due to the larger mass.

10. What is the Total Force? Why?

 The total force is 0 N because the applied force is 400 N while the friction force is.

-400 N, which makes them cancel each other out, getting 0 N.

11. Using gravity as 9.8 m/s^2, calculate the maximum force of static friction. The

coefficients of static friction are listed under “More Controls.” fs max = 558 N

 fs max = μ k N  (0.3) (1960) = 588

fs max = 588 N

13. What is the Total Force?

 Total Force = 0 N

15. What is the Total Force? Why is it not 1 N?

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 (0.2) (1960) = 392 N

589 N – 392 N = 197 N (Total Force)

 The total force is 197 N and not 1 N because 588 N is the maximum that the friction

can push, meaning, adding 1 more newtons allow kinetic friction to kick in.

16. Click the “Textbook.” Calculate the maximum force of static friction (continue to use

9.8 m/s2 for gravity), ass 1 N to this number, and set the Applied Force equal to this value.

Applied Force = __30.4 N___

 (10) (9.8) = 98 N

(0.3) (98) = 29.4 N + 1 N = 30.4 N

18. What is the frictional force listed on the graph?

 -24.5 N

19. Use this frictional force to calculate the coefficient of kinetic friction.

 Normal force/ positive friction

24.5/ 98 = .25

20. If you look under more controls it says the coefficient of kinetic friction is .2. This is not

technically wrong, any idea why?

 Is it not wrong because .25 can technically be rounded up or down. Making .2

or .3 both right answers.

21. Given that the textbook started -7.0 m from the origin, calculate the exact time that the

textbook will get to the origin. Show your work and check the position graph to see if you

are close. t = 4.8s

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 Xf = Xi + Vit = ½ at2

Xf = -7 + ½ at2  ½ (0.6) t2 = 7

t2 = 23.33  t = 4.8s

Part 2: The Ramp

5. Show work to explain where the values of 335.18 N and 276.27 N come from.

 Fg = mg sin 20

(100) (9.8) sin 20 = 335.18 N

 F = μ mg cos 20

(0.3) (100) (9.8) cos 20 = 276.27 N

7. Calculate the net force acting on the filing cabinet. Show your work.

 F net = 700 N – 335.18 N – 276.27 N = 88.55 N

8. Run the stimulation and calculate the time it will take for the filing cabinet to reach the

end of the ramp (remember it moves 10 m). Check the top left corner of the screen and note

the time it takes to reach the end of the ramp t = 4.8s. Show your work.

 F = ma  a = F/m

a = 88.55/ 100  a = .8855

Xr = Xi + Vit + t + ½ at2

10 = ½ (.8855) t2

t = 4.8s
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DISCUSSION

Given that this lab was done on a stimulation, there are a few errors that can and did occur while

working on this lab. For instance, bad internet connection is one of the difficulties anyone can

experience while working in the lab, as well as the stimulation freezing and glitching. Another

error that can occur would be the stimulation giving the wrong calculation. One error I

encountered was the graphs, they were a little hard to read since the website was acting up. The

way I fixed this problem was by copying and pasting the graph and zooming in to be able to read

the numbers. I think doing this lab in person would be more trustworthy, just because technology

is always messing up, glitching, freezing, or inaccurate. Overall, I am confident with my results

and got the answers I needed to conclude this lab.

CONCLUSION

After performing this lab, it has given me a better understanding about force. I am now able to

calculate different types of equations to find out the velocity, acceleration, speed, time, direction,

position, net force, and total force of different objects when given certain measurements. I also

learned how to find out the maximum force of static and kinetic friction. This lab has definitely

help me improve my skills when it comes to knowing which formula to use when the problem is

asking for a certain quantity.

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Figure 1

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