Writing a physics report - Essay Example

The acceleration of the object is directly proportional to the net force acting upon it while inversely proportional to the mass of the object. The acceleration of the object increases with increase in the force exerted upon it while an increase in the mass of the object causes a decrease in the acceleration. Any object moving in a curved path experiences accelerated motion which requires a net force directed towards the center of the motion. Objects moving in a circular path experience acceleration due to the constantly changing velocity.

The acceleration is caused by a force that is directed towards the center of the motion called centripetal force or “the center seeking” force. Centripetal force keeps the motion of an object in a circular manner as it tends to pull towards the center of the circular motion. Without the centripetal force, the objects would continue moving in a straight line motion. The spring was removed and the mass set to hand freely and the apparatus adjusted to set the radius of the circle to be used.

The mass was made to hand directly over the indicator rod to ensure a constant radius of the circle. The spring was attached to the mass and the weight hanger was attached to the other side of the mass with the string passing over the pulley. The force the spring exerts on the mass was determined by adding masses to the weight hanger until the mass was at its equilibrium position, centered over the indicator rod. The connection to the weight hanger was removed and the mass rotated at a constant speed until it was kept centered over the indicator rod.

The spring force while rotating the mass centered over the indicator rod was determined and recorded. Measurements of the time period of rotation were made by using the magnetic sensor aligned with small magnet mounted on the central rod. The clock run time was set to 30 seconds for it to record 10-20 rotations. Periodic time T was calculated as follows T= (final