Students are using the experimental setup shown in the image in which the two ends of a string are attached to a car and to a hanger. The students conduct three trials in which they place metal discs on the hanger to manipulate the force applied to the car. As a result, the car accelerates along the table while two probes collect motion data.

Question

Students are using the experimental setup shown in the image in which the two ends of a string are attached to a car and to a hanger. The students conduct three trials in which they place metal discs on the hanger to manipulate the force applied to the car. As a result, the car accelerates along the table while two probes collect motion data.

On the fourth trial of this experiment, a student places some discs on the car by mistake. In 1-2 sentences, explain how this would this change the acceleration or velocity?

(2 points)

Answer 1

Placing discs on the car by mistake would increase the mass of the car and therefore decrease its acceleration and possibly its velocity.

Answer 2

If the student places discs on the car by mistake, it would increase the mass of the car and consequently, the acceleration would decrease while the velocity would be affected depending on the force applied by the student's mistake.

Answer 3

Placing the discs on the car instead of the hanger would increase the mass of the car and therefore decrease the acceleration or velocity of the car due to the increased inertia.