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Physics Last Experiment Report

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8 views4 pages

Physics Last Experiment Report

Uploaded by

kaankaradas87
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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KARADENIZ TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS


ENGINEERING

PHYSICS 1001

LAB – 4

“ATWOOD MACHİNE”

Kaan KARADAŞ – 434252

16/12/2024
Purpose of the Experiment: The purpose of this experiment is to investigate one-
dimensional motion and verify Newton's laws of motion using an Atwood Machine. The
experiment aims to measure and compare theoretical and experimental values of acceleration.

Theoretical Background: An Atwood Machine consists of a frictionless pulley with


negligible mass and two masses suspended by a rope of negligible mass. When the system is
set into motion, the acceleration of both masses is equal in magnitude but opposite in
direction. Newton’s second law governs the motion, with the net force on the system given
by:

Solving for acceleration, we obtain:

Where:

• and are the masses (in grams or kilograms) of the suspended weights.

• is the gravitational acceleration (9.8 ).

The experimental acceleration is determined from a graph of position versus the square of the
time . The slope of the vs graph is related to acceleration by:

Experimental Procedure:
1. Set up the Atwood Machine as shown in Figure-2. Record the values of masses.

2. Measure the time it takes for the system to cover distances of cm. Perform two
measurements for each distance and calculate the average time .

3. Compute the square of the average time for each distance.

4. Plot a graph of (on the y-axis) versus (on the x-axis). Determine the slope of the graph.

5. Use the slope to calculate the experimental value of acceleration

6. Calculate the theoretical acceleration

7. Compare the theoretical and experimental values of acceleration.


Data and Calculations:

Graph:
Results and Discussion:

• The experimental value of acceleration was determined from the slope of the vs graph.

• The theoretical value was calculated using the formula derived from Newton’s laws.

• A significant difference was observed between the theoretical and experimental


acceleration values. This discrepancy can be attributed to several factors, including air
resistance acting on the moving masses and friction in the pulley system, which were
not accounted for in the theoretical calculations. Additionally, human error in timing
measurements and potential imperfections in the experimental setup, such as rope
elasticity, could have contributed to the variation.

Conclusion:
The experiment successfully demonstrated the principles of one-dimensional motion and
Newton’s laws. However, the observed differences between theoretical and experimental
values highlight the importance of accounting for external factors like air resistance and
friction in real-world scenarios. Improving the experimental setup by using automated timing
systems and minimizing friction in the pulley could enhance the accuracy of future
experiments.

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