Lab 3 – Forces and Motion

Name: ____________________________________________________

Objectives
1. To explore the forces acting on a body that rests on Earth surface.
2. To explore unbalance forces.
3. To understand the effect of the forces of friction during the motion of objects.
4. To explore experimentally the Second Newton’s Law (relation between force,
mass and acceleration)

In your responses use scientific terms such as, constant, increase, decrease, velocity,
force, mass and acceleration.

Click on the link below to open the simulation:

http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/forces-and-motion-basics/latest/forces-and-
motion-basics_en.html.

Your screen should look like the following.

Part I. Net force.

1. Click on “Net Force”

2. Select the checkboxes: Sum of Forces, Values and Speed

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 3. The different in size of each of the rope’s pullers, correspond to a difference in
the magnitude of the applied force, such that:

4. Apply a 200N force to the left rope, and 150 N to the right rope. What is the
magnitude and direction of the Resultant Force? 50N to the left

5. Click on “Go”. In what direction is the car moving? Left

6. Observe the speedometer on the car. As the car moves, what is happening with
the velocity? The velocity is increasing to the left as the speed goes up

Explain the cause of the velocity’s behavior the velocity is increasing to the left
because the speed is also increasing, the velocity is going to the left because that
side has the most force.

Part II. Motion

1. Click on “Motion”

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 2. Select the checkboxes: Forces, Values, Masses and Speed

3. Push the skateboard and the box with a force of 500N. Observe and describe the
behavior of the velocity once the skateboard is released. When the skateboard is
released it is still going to the right, but it is going at a constant speed until it is
slowing down and then comes to a stop

4. Explain the reason of such behavior. The skateboard is moving constantly

because it there wasn’t an extra force on it the last force gave it to stay constant
through out the track

Part III. Friction

1. Click on “Friction”
2. Select the checkboxes: Forces, Sum of Forces, Values, Masses and Speed. Keep
the knob that regulates the friction at the center of the scale.

3. Start to push the box, increasing the force applied on the box slowly. There is a
force that is opposite to the force you are applying. What is the name of the
force opposing to the motion? friction

5. Once the box start moving, the magnitude of the resultant force increase
instantaneously. How do you explain that?

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 6. Push the box and find the force needed to make the box to start moving. Add
more mass (box, kid, man, refrigerator, basket as needed) and repeat the
procedure such that you complete the table below.
Hint:
Weight = mass x gravity
Magnitude of Normal Force = Magnitude of the Weight

Mass (kg) Weight (N) Normal Force Force of Static

(N) Friction (N)
50 490 490 94
90 882 882 169
130 1274 1274 244
150 1470 1470 281
180 1764 1764 338

7. Graph Normal Force vs. Force of Static Friction, plotting points and drawing the
curve that better fit those points (show your work).

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

8. Find the slope of the line: Slope = _(338-94)/(1764-490) = 0.176

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 9. What the slope represents? The slope represents the coefficient of static friction

10. The following website presents the coefficients of static friction for different pairs
of materials: https://mechguru.com/machine-design/typical-coefficient-of-
friction-values-for-common-materials/

If Material 1 is Aluminum (Al), what material should be the Material 2, according

with the value obtained in question 8? The material is Teflon

Push the box and find the force needed to make the box to stay moving (Force
opposing the motion). Add more mass (box, kid, man, refrigerator, basket as
needed) and repeat the procedure such that you complete the table below.
Hint:
Weight = mass x gravity
Magnitude of Normal Force = Magnitude of the Weight

Mass (kg) Weight (N) Normal Force Force of Kinetic

(N) Friction (N)
50 490 490 94
90 882 882 169
130 1274 1274 244
150 1470 1470 281
180 1764 1764 338

11. Graph Normal Force vs. Force of Kinetic Friction, plotting points and drawing the
curve that better fit those points (show your work).

12. Find the slope of the line: Slope = 1764-490/338-94=5.22

13. What the slope represents? The slope represents the kinetic friction

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 400

300

200

100
200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800

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