Experimental Design: Pulley and Mass Hangers

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around an experimental design involving a pulley system with mass hangers, focusing on measuring gravitational acceleration. The original poster describes their approach to determining the rotational inertia of the pulley and calculating gravity through energy methods, while also referencing an answer key that suggests a different experimental setup.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster outlines their method for calculating gravitational acceleration using torque and energy conservation principles, while questioning the validity of their approach compared to the answer key's method. Participants discuss the implications of the pulley's inertia and the accuracy of measurements in experimental physics.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively exploring the differences between the original poster's method and the answer key's approach. There is recognition of the need to account for the pulley's inertia, and some participants suggest that the original method could work in theory but may face practical challenges. The conversation includes considerations of measurement accuracy and assumptions made in the experimental design.

Contextual Notes

There are discussions about the assumptions regarding the mass of the pulley and its impact on the experimental results. Participants question whether the pulley's inertia can be neglected and explore the implications of this assumption on the accuracy of the results.

  • #31
haruspex said:
Yes.
Thank you!
 

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