Relationship between mass of cart, mass on a pulley and resulting acceleration

In summary, the conversation discusses a lab experiment involving a cart and a pulley, where the goal is to find the mathematical relationship between the mass of the pulley, mass of the cart, and acceleration. The speaker has collected data and found that as the mass of the cart increases, the slope of the acceleration decreases. They mention Newton's second law and provide a possible equation (a=F/m) and explain how to calculate the weight of the pulley (g*m). They also mention a ratio between the increase in mass and the decrease in acceleration. The speaker is still struggling to find the exact equation and is seeking help.
  • #1
NeedsHelp1212
61
0


1. So the problem is rather simple. And the descriptive solution is a piece of cake. But I need help finding the mathematical relationship that exists between the mass of the pulley, mass of the cart, and the acceleration. In other words our lab consisted of a cart which had a mass of 500 grams. We had to see what happened to the acceleration when the mass on the pulley increased. Obviously the acceleration increased so when graphed with acceleration on the y-axis and mass of the pulley on the x-axis the line is going in the positive direction. As you can see I can describe what happens when we vary these different variables but I don't know the equation my teacher wants. He said for me to find the slope of each of my graphs. So I did that- for the graph with the cart of 500 grams it has a slope of .00604, for the cart with 600 grams it has a slope of .00572, for the cart of 700 grams it has a slope of .00558. For the cart of 1000 grams it has a slope of .00469. Lastly the cart with 1500 grams has a slope of .00368. As you can see it decreases as the mass of the cart increases. Now how do i incorporate that slope into a mathematical equation to show the relationship. Please help! thanks ( by the way its due tomorrow!)
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Just to add to what is already stated we are currently learning about Newton's three laws so possibly his second law is involved ( net force = mass times a) I just don't know how. I have been thinking for about an hour with no progress
 
  • #3
i know your not supposed to bump but this is killing? what could the equation possibly be. Acceleration decreases as mass of cart increases or acceleration increases as mass of pulley increases. How does that translate to an equation
 
  • #4
incase you still haven't figuired it out;

a=F/m

if F (G, the weight of the pulley being pulled down by gravity) stays constant and m increases the a will decrease. You can find G by g*m (9,81 m/s*s times the mass of the pulley).

If you want the ratio between increase in mass and decrease in acceleration: If you increase the mass by factor of k, then the acceleration will "increase" (actually decrease) by a factor of k^(-1).
 
  • #5


The relationship between the mass of the cart, mass on the pulley, and resulting acceleration can be described by Newton's Second Law of Motion, which states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. In this scenario, the cart is being pulled by the force of gravity, which is dependent on the mass on the pulley. As the mass on the pulley increases, the net force acting on the cart also increases, resulting in a larger acceleration.

To find the mathematical relationship, we can use the equation F=ma, where F is the net force, m is the mass, and a is the acceleration. By rearranging this equation, we get a=F/m. This means that the acceleration is equal to the net force divided by the mass. In this case, the net force is constant (due to gravity), so the relationship between the mass on the pulley and the acceleration is inverse (as one increases, the other decreases).

To incorporate the slope into the equation, we can use the formula for slope, which is rise over run. In this case, the rise is the change in acceleration and the run is the change in mass on the pulley. Therefore, the slope of the graph represents the change in acceleration per change in mass on the pulley. We can use this information to create a general equation for the relationship: a = k/m, where k is a constant value determined by the slope of the graph.

In conclusion, the mathematical relationship between the mass of the cart, mass on the pulley, and resulting acceleration is described by Newton's Second Law of Motion, with the equation a=F/m. The slope of the graph represents the change in acceleration per change in mass on the pulley, and can be used to create a general equation of a = k/m, where k is a constant value determined by the slope.
 

1. How does the mass of a cart affect the acceleration when using a pulley system?

The mass of the cart has a direct impact on the resulting acceleration when using a pulley system. According to Newton's second law of motion, the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the force applied to it and inversely proportional to its mass. Therefore, the heavier the cart is, the smaller the resulting acceleration will be.

2. How does the mass on a pulley affect the acceleration of a cart?

The mass on a pulley also affects the acceleration of a cart in the same way as the cart's mass. The heavier the mass on the pulley, the smaller the resulting acceleration of the cart will be. This is because the mass on the pulley exerts a force on the cart, and according to Newton's third law of motion, the cart will exert an equal and opposite force on the mass, resulting in a smaller acceleration.

3. Is there a relationship between the mass of the cart and the mass on the pulley?

Yes, there is a relationship between the mass of the cart and the mass on the pulley. As mentioned before, the mass of both objects affects the resulting acceleration, and they are directly proportional to each other. This means that if the mass of one object increases, the mass of the other object will also need to increase to maintain a constant acceleration.

4. How can the relationship between mass of cart, mass on pulley, and resulting acceleration be represented mathematically?

The relationship between mass of cart, mass on pulley, and resulting acceleration can be represented by the equation F=ma, where F is the force applied to the cart, m is the mass of the cart and the mass on the pulley, and a is the resulting acceleration. This equation shows that the resulting acceleration is directly proportional to the force applied and inversely proportional to the combined mass of the cart and mass on the pulley.

5. Are there any other factors that can affect the relationship between mass of cart, mass on pulley, and resulting acceleration?

Yes, there are other factors that can affect this relationship. Friction is one of the main factors that can influence the resulting acceleration in a pulley system. The presence of friction can decrease the acceleration of the cart, making it different from the theoretical value calculated using the mass and force. Other factors such as the angle of the pulley, the surface of the pulley, and the strength of the rope can also affect the resulting acceleration.

Similar threads

  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
30
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
7
Views
3K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
2
Views
959
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
4
Views
5K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
2
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
4
Views
964
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
8
Views
5K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
3K
Replies
6
Views
934
Back
Top