In the experimental setup shown, a car has one end of a string attached to it, and the other end is attached to a fixed number of metal discs. The car moves along the table and two probes sense the motion of the car. The probes send information to a computer that displays the acceleration and velocity of the experiment. When looking at these results, which quantity stays constant during the trials?

Question

A car at the one end of the table is tied to a hanger at the other end of the table using a string and a pully. The hanger is hanging over the side of the table while the car is placed flat on the surface of the table. The hanger can support the metal discs. A ruler, a laptop, and other equipment are also placed on the table.


(1 point)
Responses

velocity
velocity

mass
mass

acceleration
acceleration

force

Answer 1

In the experimental setup described, the quantity that stays constant during the trials is mass.

The car and the hanger with the attached metal discs have a constant mass throughout the trials. While the car's velocity and acceleration can change as it moves, the mass of the system (the car plus the weights on the hanger) remains unchanged. The force acting on the system can also vary as the weight of the discs is altered, influencing acceleration and velocity.