How Does Mass Affect the Force Required to Overcome Friction?

[maym]

Homework Statement

A rope is used to drag an object across a surface. How does the area of the mass affect the force required to start the block moving? Build a working model.
Someone please give me an idea as to what I'm supposed to be building!

dependent variable: force
control variables: mass

Homework Equations

f= m x a
a= (9.8m/s)/time

The Attempt at a Solution

I know I must use a block and rope for the project but not sure how to build it exactly should a spring be used to push the block as a rope is attached to it? I am so confused... I must run this experiment many times and another student in class will check to see if they get the same answers. That is acceleration of the object as well as force. I know the project must end up showing how with a larger mass there must be larger force applied.

 

[BAnders1]

May I suggest taking some flat material (the surface) and poking a hole in it so a string may be fed through the hole vertically. One end of the string could drag something across the surface, the other end could be connected to some weight which pulls the other end with some known force (F=mg).

You can find the critical weight needed to make the object being dragged move, then you can use an object of the same material and different surface area to test the same situation.