Adding metal discs to the car would increase its mass, resulting in a lower acceleration according to Newton's second law (F=ma), because the same force applied by the hanging weights would now have to overcome the increased inertia of the heavier car. Therefore, the car would accelerate more slowly compared to the trials where only the hanger was weighted down.
Use the image to answer the 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.
Students are using the experimental setup shown in the image in which the two ends of a string are attached to a car and to a hanger. The students conduct three trials in which they place metal discs on the hanger to manipulate the force applied to the car. As a result, the car accelerates along the table while two probes collect motion data.
On the fourth trial of this experiment, a student places some discs on the car by mistake. In 1-2 sentences, explain how this would this change the acceleration or velocity?
(2 points)
1 answer
9 answers