Grade Level/Subject AP Physics B or C

Unit Newtonian Mechanics

Enduring
Understanding

SOL Objectives

Title Atwood’s Machine acceleration lab

Lesson Objective Determine the relationship between weight

imbalance and acceleration of an ideal atwood’s
machine, and conduct experiments to determine
the coefficient of friction between the axle and
pulley wheel
Inquiry Level 3

Materials Required Atwood’s machine (mounted pulley), weights,

photogate or other device capable of tracking
motion.
AP Atwood’s Machine Inquiry Lab

Goal #1: Determine the idealized (friction free) mathematical relationship

between placement of masses on an atwood’s machine, and the resulting
acceleration of the system.
Goal #2: Determine the coefficient of friction between the axle and wheel
in both balanced, and unbalanced, systems.

Construct an atwoods machine with a pulley, as shown. Establish a method

for careful and precise measurement of acceleration. Explain the equipment
and method in your write-up.

Draw a clear free body diagram showing all the forces acting in your
system.

Create a clear data table of multiple levels and trials, including at least five different weight
distributions. It is recommended that the weight distribution not be different by more than 2:1.

Your coefficient of friction should be determined by graphing your results, not by averaging
trials.
Teacher Notes:

This experiment can take students much longer than they anticipated to understand and be able to
calculate friction. This is because the normal force is the sum of the two tensions pulling down
on the pulley, NOT the total weight of the system.

It is my experience that students do not get a consistent result for the coeffieient of friction. This
may lead to some good discussions, theories, and even shrugging of shoulders by the teacher.
That’s OK.

Possible construction/measurement methods include:

1) Venier superpulley with photogate attached to allow acceleration measurement
2) CPO pulley wheel with Venier photogate attached to allow acceleration measurement
3) Vernier motion detector placed underneath atwood’s machine to track motion of one
weight, and thus determine acceleration
4) For low acceleration systems, starting from rest and timing the descent of one weight

Basic Atwood’s acceleration, as students should uncover, is

a=F/m = g*(m2-m1)/(m2+m1) , where g is the magnitude of gravity, and the direction of
acceleration is the obvious direction of the heavier object.

All systems can be released from rest, or given an initial motion. Acceleration will be the same
in all cases.

Friction depends on the tension from both strings providing the normal force.
The Tension we can assume is the same on both sides, and is given by
T = m1a ± m1g , where the “+” represents m1 accelerating upward and the “-“ for m1
accelerating downward. The acceleration uses the expression from the equation above.

This the normal force is FN = 2T

The force of friction is found by comparing theoretical acceleration with experimental.

Ff= m(at-ae) and so μ=Ff/FN

I always require my students to graph outcomes to find a relationship, and graphing Ff and FN
should, in an ideal world, produce a line where the slope is μ.