PHY2414 and PHY2514 Online Force Lab Instructor: Mr.

Wilson

Force Lab Investigation

Learning Goals: Students will be able to

 Predict, qualitatively, how an external force will affect the speed and direction of
an object's motion
 Explain the effects with the help of a free body diagram

Answer all questions. Do not leave any thing unanswered. This lab will be
graded for completion and since it is an exploratory activity there are no
wrong answers for some questions.

1. Use Forces and Motion simulation to create Joe’s situation from the PreLab page.
a. Talk about how your force drawings compare to the free body diagram window for each scene and adjust
your sketches with a new color if necessary.
b. Look at your reasoning 1b. Have your thoughts changed now that you run the experiment? Explain your
answer.

2. Use the simulation to verify or correct your drawings and reasonings for Annette’s book. Make changes in a
new color.

3. Omitted.

You have thought about how a force can make something move or stop. Now you’ll want develop a more
complex understanding. Remember, the goal is to predict how applying force effects an object’s speed and
direction.

4. Start with a short investigation using the file cabinet. In an organized fashion, record observations about how
pushing on the cabinet changes it’s speed and direction of motion. Include the free body diagrams.
For example, you might test the following: Does a push from the right always make the file cabinet go right?
What roll does friction play? How can you use the free body diagram to help you make predictions?

5. Using your observations, summarize how you could predict what happens to the speed and direction of a file
cabinet when a force is applied.
it opposes motion andcan reduce the objects
speed if static friction isapplied it
may
6. Test how well your understanding applies in specific situations. each, make the
Forprevent object
a prediction, from
and moving
then test your
ideas using the simulation. Make a table to record your prediction, observations, and draw the free body
diagram. Include comments about whether the test supports or refutes your summary in question 5.

a. How much force does it take to make the cabinet move from rest with friction on?
b. What’s different with the friction off?
c. What happens if you change the cabinet to a book and also to a refrigerator?

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 PHY2414 and PHY2514 Online Force Lab Instructor: Mr. Wilson

d. If the cabinet is moving when the force is applied, what do you need to consider? Are there different things
to consider if you switch the cabinet to a dog or crate?
e. Think of other experiments that would help you verify your ideas. Describe your experiments and continue
to fill in your table.

7. Write a final summary of how you can predict, with the help of free body diagrams, what effects an external
force will have on the speed and direction of an object's motion.
When considering forces magnitudes directions and
law one can make predictions about how an objectsusing newton's
speed might change due to applied forces direction and

Prediction observation free body

if force is applied constant

Is
be greater
p than
then acceleration is
constant while speed
increases
a ifp
Fa

no friction force small amounts of force

can move an object
Object won't stop acceleration occurs when f
moving a force isapplied yetspeed
is constant f
book fasterthancabinet objects having different B Fn R Fn
masses results in less
hefrator slowerthan gravitational force and Ff For 1 07
smaller normal force

forces may counteract movement of an object fn

or slow
each other and cause can prolong
the crate to show down velocity depending
down
on its movement ft Fa
Fa
added surface area friction is increased
increases friction
requiring more force to move object
to move object
4488619 neither
fs.IO fa

Fg
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 f friction

f
N normal
mg weight of cabinet
f or F force pushing
Ing
a push from the right does not always make
the cabinet go right friction will oppose the force
but after the maximum limit is applied the cabinet
will start moving
f mn where m is coefficient of friction

r
Speed is 0 until the force applied is to maximum
limit of frictional force
After that speed will increase causing the
cabinet to move right

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