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speakout
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Homework Statement
For the maximum angle for which you have data draw a free body diagram and explain how the forces add to give the resultant (net) force and show the calculations required to determine the acceleration.
The lab was about using Galileo's inclined plane to measure acceleration due to gravity. We rolled the cart down the incline and measured its acceleration with a sensor. We did 10 trials and and raised the height of the incline 4 cm each trial.
Homework Equations
a= gsin(Θ)
a×=AcosΘ (?)
The Attempt at a Solution
I drew the inclined plane at 21 degrees and drew the cart with arrows. But I do not know how to continue from there. I know that the force of gravity and the normal force will cancel each other out. I know that there is a force causing the cart to go down the plane. But I don't know how to find any of these forces and draw a scaled diagram without the mass of the cart, which was not given.
I tried doing 3.04= 9.81 x .358 to make sure the acceleration was correct but it wasn't. I thought maybe I could use a×=AcosΘ but I can't even plug anything in correctly.
I've been crying for an hour because I don't know how to do this problem for my report...