HIGHER COLLEGES OF TECHNOLOGY

ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY DIVISION

PHY-1103 PROJECT
The Mechanics of Motion: A Practical Study of Force and Momentum

Introduction
1. The Mechanics of Motion: A Practical Study of Force and Momentum delves into the
principles that explain how things move. One important aspect to consider is
friction, which is described as the resistance between two surfaces.
Friction occurs in daily life, such as in walking or in the use of machinery. There are
two types of friction: static friction, which prevents the movement of objects, and
kinetic friction, which applies during the motion of an object. Understanding these
helps in designing systems to either minimize resistance for efficiency or increase
it to improve control.

2. Another important topic is the second law of motion by Newton, telling us

that the acceleration of a body depends on its mass and applied force: F = ma.
This clarifies why larger objects take more force in order for their
acceleration to increase, and can be used to predict what will happen to
objects when any force acts upon them

3. The study also explores elastic force through Hooke's Law, which shows that the
force in a stretched material is proportional to how much it's stretched given by the
equation F = -kx. This helps us understand how materials like springs stretch and
return to their original shape—important in engineering and design.

4. Another big idea is linear momentum. It is defined as the combination of mass and
velocity of an object. It is conserved in closed systems, which means that the
total before and after-in an event such as a collision-is the same. This helps us figure
out how objects will behave during impacts.
 5. Taken together, these concepts form the basis of classical mechanics and provide a
basic understanding of how the physical world functions. From engineering to
everyday life, they expose us to the rules that control motion and enable us to make
sense of the universe.

Practical and Theoretical

Calculations

Frictional Force (Nonconservative force) (20

Marks)
1- Methods (2.5 marks)

The method is to find the static and kinetic coefficients of friction, you can slide a block on a
surface while applying a known force with a Force Sensor.

1. Static Friction: Measure the maximum force needed to start moving the block. The static
coefficient of friction (μs) is:

F =fNus

where Fis the friction force and N is the normal force.

2. Kinetic Friction: Once the block is moving at a constant speed, the force applied equals
the kinetic friction force. The kinetic coefficient of friction (μk) is calculated the same
way:

F=fNuk

Plotting these forces over time helps you find both coefficients.

2- Data and observation

Static Friction (µs):
When a box is placed on a flat surface and a force is applied, the box resists motion due to static
friction. The coefficient of static friction (µ_s) can be found by dividing the maximum static
friction force (fs) by the normal force N, when the box just begins to slide.

Kinetic Friction (µ_k):

Once the box starts sliding, the friction changes to kinetic friction. The coefficient of kinetic
friction (µk) is calculated by dividing the kinetic friction force (fk) by the normal force N, when
the box slides at a constant speed (zero acceleration).

Equations:

 For Static Friction: μs=fs,max/N

 For Kinetic Friction: μk=fk/N

1. Measure Static Friction (µ_s):

Apply force using a pulley system until the box just begins to slide. The static friction is
at its maximum just before motion starts.
2. Measure Kinetic Friction (µ_k):
Once the box slides at a constant velocity, the friction becomes kinetic. Measure the
kinetic friction and normal force to calculate μk\mu_kμk.

Data:
Table 1a: Static friction Data

Case fs N f s , max
μs =
N
Box 9.7 18.79N 0.52
(Just begins to slide)

N=mg
N=1.915x9.81

N=18.786 = 18.79N

Table 1b: Kinetic friction Data

fk
Case fk (N) FN (N) μk =
N

Box 4.3 18.79 0.23

 (Constant speed)

Forces and Free-Body Diagrams:

 When calculating static and kinetic friction, use Newton’s Second

Law (F=ma) to understand the forces at play on both the box and the
hanging mass in the system.

3- Graphing (5 marks)

Chart Title
0.25

0.2 f(x) = 0.675 x + 0.1425

Axis Title

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1 0.11

Axis Title

4- Analysis

1. Objective:
The experiment aims to determine the coefficient of static friction (µs) between a glider
and an inclined surface. By gradually adding hanging mass to the system, the force
required to overcome static friction is measured.

2. Equipment Used:
o Inclined Plane: Provides the surface for the glider.
 o Force Sensor: Measures the maximum static friction force.
o Hanging Mass: Applied to the pulley system to move the glider.
o Ruler and Protractor: Used to measure distances and angles.
o Laboratory Balance: To determine the mass of the glider.

3. Procedure:
o Measure the mass of the glider (MG = 0.213 kg).
o Gradually increase the hanging mass (m) until the glider just
begins to move, recording the maximum static friction (fs,max)
for each added load.
o Repeat for different additional masses Ma on the glider.

4. Observations & Data (Table 2a):

o The glider mass (M) was increased by adding different amounts
of mass (Ma) to the glider.
o The corresponding static friction values (fs,max) and
coefficient of static friction (μs) were calculated.

5. Analysis:
o Graph Plot: A graph was plotted with the added glider mass (Ma
) on the x-axis and the hanging mass (mmm) on the y-axis.
o The slope of the graph was used to determine the coefficient of
static friction (μs).

6. Results:
o Average µs: 0.67
o Graphically Determined µs: 0.6875 (from the slope of the
trend line).
o Ratio of µs (from graph) to average µs:

Ratio=0.670/6875=1.026

o Glider Mass Calculation Using µs from Graph:

MG=0.68750/14=0.2036kg

o Percentage Error in Glider Mass:

|0.213-0.2036|
___________ x100% = 4.62%
|0.2036|
Example: Driving a car on the surface or applying brakes to stop a moving
car.

Newton’s Second Law (conservative force) (20

Marks)
1- Methods
According to Newton’s first law, an object stays at rest or moves at a
constant speed unless a net force acts on it. When a net force does
act, the object will accelerate, meaning its speed or direction will
change. This relationship is described by Newton’s second law, which
states:

[F = ma]

where (F) is the resultant force (in newtons), ( m) is mass (in

kilograms), and ( a) is acceleration (in m/s²).

In this lab, you’ll investigate this relationship using a trolley of fixed

mass. You’ll adjust the force by changing the weight hanging from a
pulley. The force on the trolley is the weight of the hanging mass,
calculated as:

[W = m g]

Where (m) is the hanging mass and (g) is the acceleration due to
gravity (approximately 9.8 N/kg).

You will use the following equations to find acceleration and relate the
forces:

a = {g m}/{m + M} , M: mass of the car

 and rearranging gives:

m = {M a}/{g - a}

You’ll plot the hanging mass ( m ) on the y-axis against the

acceleration ratio ({a}/{g - a} ) on the x-axis. This should produce a
straight line through the origin, allowing you to find the experimental
mass of the trolley from the slope of the line.

To compare your experimental value with the actual mass of the trolley
(M), you can calculate the percentage difference:

|actual value – experimental value|

Percentage Difference= ×100
actual value

2- Data and observation

Objective: Measure the acceleration of a car by varying the hanging mass m and
calculate the ratio a/(g−a), where a is acceleration and g is gravitational acceleration.

Data:

a. Measured Car Mass (mc): 0.2505 kg

b. The table shows the values of acceleration (a1,a2,a3 ) for different values of mh ,
and the average acceleration (Avg. a) and the ratio a/(g−a) are also calculated.

Acceleration a
m Avg. a g−a
( m/s^2 )
( kg ) ( m/s^2 )
a1 a2 a3
0.01 00.3059 00.3087 00.3141 0.30956 0.0325
0.02 00.6320 00.9841 00.3690 0.7517 0.0829
0.03 00.9334 1.1477 1.0084 1.030 0.1173
0.04 01.3468 01.1636 00.8854 1.1319 0.1304
0.05 01.4617 01.5753 01.5648 1.5339 0.1853
3- Graphing

Newtons second law of conservation

0.06

0.05
f(x) = 0.274152603696611 x − 6.90575734443172E-05

0.04
mh (kg)

0.03

0.02

0.01

0
0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12 0.14 0.16 0.18 0.2

a/(g-a)

4- Analysis

Using the slope (gradient) of your graph find the mass of the car.

Slope = 0.2742kg

5- Calculate the percentage difference of your value for the mass of the car compared with
the actual mass of the car / trolley.

Percentage Difference=¿ actual value−experimental value∨ ¿ ×100 ¿

actual value
 ¿ 0.2505−0.2742∨ ¿ × 100 ¿
0.2505 = 14.49%

Example: such as kicking a ball or pushing a car and many others.

Elastic Force (conservative force/Hook’s Law)

1- Methods
Engineers often need to evaluate materials to choose the best one for
specific applications. One important aspect they consider is how
materials deform under force.

For example, when a weight is hung from a spring, the spring

stretches. This stretching, called extension (( x)), is directly
proportional to the force (( F)) applied, described by Hooke’s law:

|F| = k x

Here, (k) is the spring constant, which measures how stiff the spring is.
2- Data and observation

a) Write down the actual spring constant of the spring: …7N/m……………….

b) Complete the table by varying the suspended mass and the extension of the spring.

Extension (m)
Mass(kg) Force (N) Average extension, x
x1 x2 x3
0.01 0.098 0.012 0.011 0.012 0.0116
0.02 0.1962 0.03 0.031 0.029 0.03
0.03 0.2943 0.045 0.045 0.044 0.0446
0.04 0.3924 0.06 0.059 0.059 0.0593
 0.05 0.4905 0.072 0.071 0.073 0.072

3- Graphing (5 marks)

Chart Title
0.08
0.07 f(x) = 0.152977894195719 x − 0.00151833470391611
0.06
Displacment

0.05
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01
0
0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5 0.55

force

4- Analysis
5- Use the slope of your graph to find the value of the spring constant of the spring

Slope= 0.153
Spring constant k= 1/slope
K=1/0.153
K = 6.5 N/M

(9) Calculate the percentage error between actual value and experimental value of the spring
constant.

[7-0.1501/7]x100
=0.9785%
Example: There are many examples such as rubber band, trampoline,
bungee jumping etc.
Linear Momentum (Conservation of
momentum) (20 Marks)
1- Methods
Momentum is defined as:

Momentum = mass × velocity

It’s a vector, meaning it has direction. Momentum is important in engineering, especially

for understanding collisions and explosions, and it can help determine fault in accidents.
According to the law of conservation of momentum, the total momentum before a
collision equals the total momentum after:

m A v iA + mB v iB =m A v fA +mB v fB

If both objects start with zero momentum, the equation simplifies to:

0=m A v fA + mB v fB

This can be rearranged to:

( ) ( )
v fB
v fA
=−
1
m
mB A

By changing the mass of cart A while keeping cart B’s mass constant, you can plot
v fB
against m A
v fA

This should give a straight line, and the slope can help find the mass of cart B. You can
check how close this value is to the actual mass by calculating the percentage difference.

2- Data and observation

Measure the mass of the cart

mA: ………260g………………………………… mB: ………………260g……………………………

 Initial velocity of the cart
viA: ………………0m/s………………………… viB: ……………0m/s…………………………………

Final velocity of the cart

vfA: ……………-0.6024m/s……………………………… vfB: ……0.5882m/s………………………………………

Total momentum before release: ma va + mb vb

(0.260)(0)+(0.260)(0) = 0 kg m/s

Total momentum after release: Pt= ma vfa + mfb vfb

(0.260)(-0.8584)+(0.260)(0.9050) = 0.012116 kg
m/s
Record your measurements in the table below.

Mass of cart A Final velocity of cart A, Final velocity of cart B, v fB m/s

mA kg v fA m/s v fB m/s v fA

0.260 -0.6024 0.5882 -0.9764

0.310 -0.4785 0.6061 -1.266
0.361 -0.4386 0.6116 -1.394
0.410 -0.4061 0.6667 -1.641
0.461 -0.3503 0.6135 -1.751

3- Graphing
 Collisin
0
0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5
-0.2
-0.4

v_fB/v_fA m/s
-0.6
-0.8
-1
-1.2 f(x) = − 3.83091440090154 x − 0.0250184499150834
-1.4
-1.6
-1.8
-2

mA kg

4- Analysis

(13) Considering the data analysis in section 1, does your data suggestion that momentum is
conserved or not? Justify your answer by using numbers.
ma va + mb vb
(0.260)(0)+(0.260)(0) = 0 kg m/s

Pt= ma vfa + mfb vfb

(0.260)(-0.6024)+(0.260)(0.5882) = -0.003692 kg m/s

(14) Using the slope (gradient) of your graph find the mass of the cart B, mB .

Mb= 1/abs slope= 1/|-3.8309|= 0.261kg

(15) Calculate the percentage error of your value for the mass of the car compared with the
actual mass of the car / trolley.

Percentage Difference=¿ actual value−experimental value∨ ¿ ×100 ¿

actual value

Percentage Difference=¿ 0.260−0.261∨ ¿ × 100 ¿

0.260 = 0.3846%

Example: motorboats fuel get burned and pushes the water backward which
then pushes the motorboat forward.

6. Conclusion
Our work confirms the following important principles from classical
mechanics:

1. Friction: There is static friction, which prevents motion, and kinetic friction,
which occurs during motion.
2. Newton's Second Law: Acceleration is proportional to the net force acting
on an object and inversely proportional to its mass.
3. Hooke's Law: The force in an elastic material is proportional
to the amount it has been stretched or compressed from
its equilibrium position.
4. Linear momentum (Conservation of Momentum): For a closed system with
no net external forces, the total momentum is conserved.
These findings further show the key underpinnings for classical
mechanics in their real application.

Title Max Mark Obtained Mark

1 Introduction 10

2 Methods 10

3 Data and Observations 20

4 Graphing 20

5 Analysis 30

6 Conclusion 10

Total 100