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Record your observations for each type of motion from Step 4 in the space below. Comment on where the water tended to move. If the water spilled, note which side it spilled from.

Explain how your observations of the water demonstrate Newton’s law of inertia.

Draw a free body diagram of your box of water from the situation in Procedure 4d. Draw arrows for the force of gravity, the normal force (your hand pushing up on the box), and the stopping force (your hand decelerating the box as you stop). What is the direction of the water’s acceleration? Note, free body diagrams are discussed in depth in Lab 2: Types of Forces. See Figure 3 for a sample diagram. Remember, the object is usually indicated as a box, and each force that acts upon the box is indicated with an arrow. The size of the arrow indicates the magnitude of the force, and the direction of the arrow indicates the direction which the force is acting.

Each arrow should be labeled to identify the type of force. Note, not all objects have four forces acting upon them. F friction, F app, F normal, F gravity. Figure 3: Sample FBD

Can you think of an instance when you are driving or riding in a car that is similar to this experiment? Describe two instances where you feel forces in a car in terms of inertia.

Experiment 2: Unbalanced Forces - Newton’s Second Law

Table 1: Motion Data for Experiment 2

Trial, M 1, M 2, d of M 2, Time (s), Calculated Acceleration

Procedure, Average

Questions: When you give one set of washers a downward push, does it move as easily as the other set? Does it stop before it reaches the floor? How do you explain this behavior?

Draw a FBD for M1 and M2 in each procedure (Procedure 1 and Procedure 2). Draw force arrows for the force due to gravity acting on both masses (Fg1 and Fg2), and the force of tension (FT). Also draw arrows indicating the direction of acceleration, a.

Experiment 3: Newton’s Third Law

Questions: Explain what caused the balloon to move in terms of Newton’s Third Law. What is the force pair in this experiment? Draw a Free Body Diagram (FBD) to represent the (unbalanced) forces on the balloon/straw combination. Add some mass to the straw by taping some metal washers to the bottom and repeat the experiment. How does this change the motion of the assembly? How does this change the FBD? If the recoil of the rifle has the same magnitude force on the shooter as the rifle has on the bullet, why does the shooter not fly backwards with a high velocity?

Sample Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

Understanding Newton's laws of motion is fundamental to physics, providing insight into how forces influence the movement of objects. This experiment explores the three laws through practical demonstrations involving water motion, masses connected by tension, and the recoil of a projectile. By observing these phenomena, we can gain a clearer picture of inertia, unbalanced forces, and action-reaction pairs.

Experiment 1: Observation of Water Motion and Newton’s First Law

The experiment involved observing the motion of water in response to various disturbances. When the box was abruptly moved or stopped, water tended to continue moving in the original direction due to inertia. For instance, when the box was suddenly halted, water spilled from the side opposite to the direction of motion, demonstrating that the water's inertia resisted changes in its state of motion. These observations visually depict Newton’s First Law—that an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an external force.

Water naturally moves in the direction of applied force but resists sudden changes in its state, confirming the principle that inertia is a property inherent to matter. For example, during quick accelerations, water shifted backwards or spilled, illustrating how inertia opposes change in velocity. Similarly, during deceleration, water tends to continue forward, often spilling from the front side of the box.

The free body diagram (FBD) of the water within the box includes forces such as gravity (downward), the normal force exerted by the container (upward), and any additional forces applied during the experiment. When the box is moving or decelerating, the water's inertia causes it to lag behind or surge forward relative to the box's motion, which can be visualized by arrows indicating the directions of these forces and inertia.)

In everyday life, similar forces are experienced while riding in a car. For example, when a vehicle accelerates, passengers feel pushed back into their seats (inertia resisting forward movement). Conversely, during sudden braking, passengers lunge forward, illustrating inertia’s role in resisting changes in velocity.

Experiment 2: Unbalanced Forces and Newton’s Second Law

The second experiment measured motion data for two masses connected by a string and subjected to forces such as gravity and tension. The data analysis demonstrated that when a downward force was applied to one mass, its acceleration was different compared to the other, depending on the net force and mass involved, as dictated by Newton’s Second Law (F=ma).

In specific trials, it was observed that one set of washers moved with greater ease when pushed, likely due to differences in friction or initial conditions. When the washers reached the floor, some stopped earlier or later based on the forces acting on them. Drawing free body diagrams (FBDs) for these masses involved depicting gravity acting downward (Fg1, Fg2), tension in the string (FT), and the resulting acceleration (a) showing the net force causing motion.

These diagrams help visualize how unbalanced forces cause acceleration, with the tension force acting to change the motion of the masses, directly illustrating Newton’s Second Law of motion. The data supported that a greater net force results in greater acceleration, consistent with the theoretical framework.

Experiment 3: Newton’s Third Law and Recoil

The third experiment involved releasing a balloon connected to a straw, illustrating Newton’s Third Law. When the air rushed out of the balloon in one direction, the straw—and thus the balloon—moved in the opposite direction due to the equal and opposite force pair. The force pair in this case is the expelled air pushing against the balloon and the tentacle of air exerting an equal and opposite force on the air.

Adding mass to the straw with washers increased the resistance to acceleration, reducing the velocity of the motion. The change in motion was explained through the modified free body diagram, illustrating the greater inertia resisting the force exerted by expelled air.

Regarding the recoil of a rifle, although the force exerted on the bullet is equal and opposite to the force exerted on the shooter, the shooter does not fly backwards at high velocity because of the vast difference in mass. The rifle and shooter form a system with a large combined mass compared to the bullet, resulting in a negligible velocity change for the shooter according to Newton’s Second Law.

Conclusion

This series of experiments vividly demonstrates the fundamental principles of Newton’s laws of motion. Observations of water movement manifest inertia, unbalanced forces create acceleration proportional to force and inversely proportional to mass, and action-reaction pairs operate simultaneously with effects modulated by mass differences. Understanding these principles is crucial in predicting and explaining everyday physical phenomena.

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