Investigating force, mass

SP2d.1 and acceleration

Your teacher may watch to see if you can…

● follow instructions safely
● take careful measurements.

Aim
To investigate the effect of mass on the acceleration of a trolley.

Prediction
1 You will accelerate a trolley using a constant force. What effect do you think the mass of
the trolley will have on the acceleration? Explain your prediction if you can.

Method
Apparatus Safety

● trolley ● card Make sure masses cannot fall on

your feet by placing a box of
● ramp ● sticky putty crumpled newspaper on the floor
● blocks to prop up the end ● balance beneath them.
of the ramp ● 2 light gates
● string ● datalogger
● pulley ● 2 clamps and stands
● masses ● box of crumpled
● sticky tape newspaper
A Prop up one end of the ramp and place a trolley on it. Adjust the slope of the ramp until
the trolley just starts to move on its own. Gravity pulling the trolley down the slope is now
slightly greater than the friction in the trolley's wheels.
B Stick a piece of card to the top of the trolley using sticky putty. Leave enough space to
stack some masses on top of the trolley. Measure the length of the card and write it
down.
C Find the mass of the trolley and write it down.
D Fasten the pulley at the bottom end of the ramp, and arrange the string and masses as
shown below.

E Set up two light gates, one near the top of the ramp and one near the bottom. Adjust
their positions so that the card on the top of the trolley passes through each gate as it
runs down the ramp.

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 Investigating force, mass
SP2d.1 and acceleration
F Put a mass on the end of the string. You will keep this mass the same for all your tests.
You will have to decide what mass to use.
G Release the trolley from the top of the ramp and write down the speed of the trolley (from
the datalogger) as it passes through each light gate. Also write down the time it takes for
the trolley to go from one light gate to the other. Repeat this two more times, so you have
three sets of results.
H Repeat step G for other masses on the trolley. You will have to decide what masses to
use and how many different masses you are going to test.

Recording your results

2 Draw a table like this for recording your results. You need to repeat the four rows here for
every different mass you put on your trolley.

Mass Total Run u – 1st v – 2nd Time Acceleration

added to mass of numb velocity velocity between (m/s2)
trolley trolley er reading reading velocity
(kg) and (m/s) (m/s) measureme
masses nts
(kg) (s)
1
2
3
Mean

3 Calculate the acceleration for each run using the acceleration =

equation in the box. change in velocity
4 Find the mean acceleration for each trolley mass. time
(v−u)
Considering your results a= t
5 Plot a scatter graph to show your results. Put the total
mass of the trolley on the horizontal axis and the mean
acceleration on the vertical axis. Draw a line or curve of
best fit through your points.

1 a What relationship between acceleration and mass

does your graph show?
b Is this what you predicted?

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 Investigating force, mass
SP2d.1 and acceleration
Evaluation
2 a How close are the points on your graph to the line of best fit?
b What does this tell you about the quality of the data you have gathered?
6 How do your results compare to the results obtained by other groups?
7 How certain are you that your conclusion is correct? Explain your answer.

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3
 SP2d.2 Accelerating vehicles
The cards give the masses of a range of different cars, as well as their times to
accelerate from
0 to 60 mph (with acceleration in m/s2) and the force available from the engine for this
acceleration.
1 Use these clues to help you match the car to its engine and acceleration.
● The acceleration of the Caterham Super Seven 1.4 is more than twice the acceleration
of the
Renault Clio.
● The heaviest car does not have the most powerful engine.
● The Volvo XC accelerates more quickly than the Ford Focus.
You will need to use the equation:
F=m×a
1 There is some data left over. What is the mass of the mystery car?

Renault Clio 0–60 mph in 9.3 s

2750 N
1000 kg (3.0 m/s2)

Ford Focus 0–60 mph in 6.6 s

2500 N
1500 kg (4.0 m/s2)

0–60 mph in 10.2 s
? 4500 N
(2.5 m/s2)

Volvo XC 0–60 mph in 7.2 s

7000 N
2000 kg (3.5 m/s2)

Range Rover 0–60 mph in 4.7 s

5000 N
2500 kg (5.5 m/s2)

Caterham Super Seven 0–60 mph in 12.7 s

2200 N
500 kg (2.0 m/s2)

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 Newton’s Second Law
SP2d.3 Strengthen
Name Class Date

1 Complete these sentences about acceleration.

a If the force increases the acceleration (increases/decreases).
b If the mass increases the acceleration (increases/decreases).
c Formula 1® rules limit the engine power. This means that there is a
(maximum/minimum) force that the engine can have, and so there is also a
(maximum/minimum) force that the engine can produce. If the force cannot be above
a certain value,
then the acceleration cannot be (above/below) a certain value.
d Formula 1® rules set a minimum mass for the car. If the mass cannot go lower than a
certain value,
then the acceleration cannot go (above/below) a certain value.
e The Formula 1® rules set an (upper/lower) limit to the acceleration of the
cars.
1. The safety rules for building Formula 1® cars include a limit to the engine force, and
a minimum mass for the car. Explain whether these rules are designed to set an
upper or lower limit to the accelerations of the cars.
2 a Write out the equation for force = ×
calculating force.

b A 250 kg motorbike accelerates at 5 force =  kg ×  m/s2

m/s2. Put these numbers into the
equation to find the force needed.

c Work out the answer. force =  N

2. Calculate the force needed to accelerate a 250 kg motorbike at 5 m/s2.
3 The engine of a 300 kg motorbike produces a force of 1000 N.
What is the acceleration?
a Write out the equation with acceleration on the left. Use the
equation triangle to help you by covering up the a. What
you can see
(F above m) is the form of the right hand side of the
equation.
_______________
acceleration = mass
_______________ N
b Put in the numbers. acceleration = _______________ kg
c Work out the answer. acceleration = units
4 A car's engine produces a force of 1000 N, and the car accelerates at 2.5 m/s2. Calculate
the mass of
the car.

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 Newton’s Second Law
SP2d.3 Strengthen

mass =  kg

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 Newton’s Second Law
SP2d.4 Extend
E1 Explain what you need to know to help you to work out which of two different vehicles
will have the greater acceleration.
1 a List the factors that affect the acceleration of an object.
b Explain how each of these features affects acceleration.

1 Two students are answering question E1 We need to know the maximum force
above. Their answer is not quite correct – produced by the engine.
explain what other information they need.
We also need to know the mass.

E2 Explain why two objects dropped on the Moon will accelerate at the same rate, even
when they have different masses.
1 a Describe the factors that affect the force of gravity on an object, on the Earth and on
the Moon.
b Describe the factors that affect the acceleration of an object.
c Explain why objects of different masses falling on the Moon accelerate at the same
rate.
2 Use calculations to show that objects of different masses accelerate at the same rate on
the Moon. The gravitational field strength on the Moon is approximately 1.6 N/kg. (Hint:
choose two different masses, find the force of gravity on them and then work out their
accelerations.)

2 a A jumping flea has an acceleration of 2000 m/s2. The mass of a flea is 0.5 mg.

Calculate the force exerted by the flea as it jumps.
(Hint: 1 mg = 0.000 001 kg)
b A man accelerates at 15 m/s2 when doing the high jump, using a force of 1200 N.
What is his mass?
c A racehorse has a mass of 500 kg. It exerts a force of 6000 N with its legs as it
starts a race. What is its acceleration?

3 A car accelerates from 10 m/s to 20 m/s in 5 seconds. The car has a mass of 2000 kg.
a Calculate the resultant force acting on the car.
a How will the force from the engine compare to the force you have calculated in part
a?

b The same engine force is used to accelerate the car from 20 m/s to 30 m/s. Explain
how the acceleration will compare with the acceleration from 10 m/s to 20 m/s.
7 H A student weighs a trolley and finds its mass by dividing the weight by the acceleration due to gravity.
Its mass is 1.5 kg.
a Describe how she could find the mass of the trolley using a ramp, light gates and some hanging
masses.
b Predict what mass she will find using this method, and explain your prediction.

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 Acceleration calculations
SP2d.5 Homework 1

Name Class Date

1 What are the resultant forces acting on these objects?

a An object of mass 10 kg accelerating at 5 m/s2.

 N

b mass 15 kg, acceleration 5 m/s2  N

2
c mass 20 kg, acceleration 8 m/s  N
d mass 16 kg, acceleration 10 m/s2  N
4 Complete these sentences using the words ‘greater’ or ‘smaller’.
a For objects of the same mass, a larger resultant force will give a acceleration.
b For the same resultant force, the more massive the object, the the acceleration.
5 For each of the following diagrams:
● calculate the resultant force
● give the direction of the resultant force
● calculate the acceleration of the object.

a b c

resultant force  N resultant force  N resultant force  N

direction direction direction
acceleration  m/s2 acceleration acceleration
 m/s  m/s
2 2

d e f

resultant force  N resultant force   N resultant force  N

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 Acceleration calculations
SP2d.5 Homework 1
direction direction direction
acceleration  m/s2 acceleration acceleration
 m/s  m/s
2 2

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 Acceleration calculations
SP2d.6 Homework 2
1 For each object:
● calculate the size and direction of the resultant force 1 tonne = 1000 kg
● calculate the size of its acceleration and state the direction.
a b

1 Copy and complete the table below by calculating the missing values.

Object Force (N) Mass (kg) Acceleration

(m/s2)
sprinter 80 2
charging 1000 1000
elephant
racing car 500 9
cyclist 150 1.5
bullet 80 0.002
hockey ball 4 30
2 A golf ball has a mass of 45 g. In a speed test, a golf
Remember the units must
ball was driven from rest to a velocity of 90 m/s.
always be kilograms, seconds
a If the time taken for the golf ball to reach this and metres.
velocity was 0.0005 seconds, what acceleration 1 kg = 1000 g
was this?
1 km/h = 0.28 m/s
b What force was applied to the golf ball?

3 A supertanker carrying oil has a mass of 300 000 tonnes. By using its engines in reverse,
a tanker like this can stop from a speed of 22 km/h in 14 minutes.
a What acceleration is this?
b What force is required?
4 a H What does inertial mass mean?
b How does the inertial mass of an object compare to its mass found using its weight and the gravitational
field strength?

Extra challenge
5 H Formula 1® racing cars must have a mass at or above a certain limit. The rules have
been introduced for safety reasons. Explain why a lower mass car might be safer when
driving fast around corners. Use the words centripetal force and friction in your answer.

6 A jet fighter has a mass of 28 000 kg. The thrust from acceleration =

its engines when it starts to take off is 140 000 N. change in velocity
a What is its initial acceleration? time

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 Acceleration calculations
SP2d.6 Homework 2
b How fast is it moving 10 seconds after it starts its (v−u)
take-off run? a= t

c What assumptions have you made in answering part b? (Hint: think about all the
forces that act on a moving vehicle).
d Explain how the actual speed after 10 seconds will compare to your answer to part b.

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 SP2d.7 Equation practice

You will be expected to recall the equation linking force, mass and acceleration in your
examination. You should also be able to change the subject of the equation and to use the
correct units.
1 A car has a mass of 1500 kg. What is the resultant force on the car when its acceleration
is:

a 2 m/s2 a 1.5 m/s2 b 3 m/s2 c 4 m/s2?

3 The table shows information about the Resultant Mass Accelerati

force, mass and acceleration of different force on car of car on (m/s2)
cars. (N) (kg)
Calculate the missing values in the table. a 1000 3.0
4 The mass of an ejector seat in a jet b 3750 2.5
fighter is 45 kg. The mass of the pilot and
her clothing is 80 kg. When she ejects, c 1500 1000
she is subjected to an acceleration of d 2400 1.2
120 m/s2. Calculate the force acting on
the pilot and the ejector seat. e 1500 3000
5 A 50 g stone is fired from a catapult. The
elastic in the catapult provides a force of
30 N. Calculate the acceleration of the
stone.

6 A flea accelerates at 1200 m/s2 when it jumps. The mass of a flea is approximately 1 mg.
Calculate the force the flea's legs produce.
7 A car brakes with a deceleration of 5 m/s2. The mass of the car is 1200 kg.
a Calculate the braking force on the car.
c What braking force is needed to give the same deceleration if the car is towing a trailer
with a mass of 500 kg?
8 A lorry has a mass of 15 tonnes when it is empty. 1 tonne = 1000 kg. Calculate the mass
of the load being carried under the following conditions:
a it accelerates at 0.1 m/s2 when the resultant force is 3000 N
d acceleration is 0.05 m/s2 when the resultant force is 1750 N
e a 4000 N force accelerates it at 0.2 m/s2.
9 The acceleration of a bullet as it is fired is 2.5  105 m/s2. The bullet has a mass of 4 g.
a Calculate the size of the force that accelerates the bullet.
d The same force is used to fire a bullet with a mass of 1.6 g. What is the acceleration of
this bullet?
10 The main engine of an Ariane V rocket produces a thrust of 1015 kN and its booster
rockets produce a total thrust of 13 300 kN. If it has a launch mass of 780 tonnes,
calculate its initial acceleration.

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 SP2d.7 Equation practice

F = force (N)
m = mass (kg) force = mass  acceleration
a = acceleration (m/s2)

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 SP2d Progression Check

Name Class Date

Progression questions
Answer these questions.
1 What are the factors that affect the acceleration of an object?
_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

7 How do you calculate the different factors that affect acceleration?

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

8 H What is inertial mass and how is it defined?

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Now circle the faces in the ‘Start’ row in the table showing how confident you are of your
answers.

Question 1 2 3
Start

Assessment
Using a different colour, correct or add to your answers above. You may need to use the
back of this sheet or another piece of paper. Then circle the faces in the ‘Check’ row in the
table.

Question 1 2 3
Check

Feedback
What will you do next? Tick one box.

 strengthen my learning  strengthen then extend  extend

Note down any specific areas you need to improve.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Action
You may now be given another activity. After this, note down any remaining areas you need
to improve and how will you try to improve in these areas.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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