What is the relationship between the mass of an object and the force needed to hold it in place?
- This week in Physics, we measured the amount of force on different amounts of masses using manual and electronic force probes. The force was measured in Newtons and we changed the brass masses from grams to kilograms. To analyze our data, we made a line graph connecting the two variables, mass and force, with the equation y = mx + b.
- Here is an illustration of what our graph looked like:
- We found the slope to be 10 and developed an equation that relates force and mass. Using y = mx + b, we plugged in our variables to form the equation F = Mg. The force (F) took the place of (y) because the force was our dependent variable. The mass (M) took the place of (x) because the mass was our independent variable. 10 was plugged into (m) because 10 was our slope. The (g) in our equation stands for earth's gravitational constant. (g) is always equal to 10 Newtons per kilogram.
- We concluded that the force due to gravity (N) on Earth is about 10 times the mass (kg).
- Real life connection: Here is an article about how gravity has an effect on dancers. http://www.livestrong.com/article/507653-physics-dance-movements/
- It shows the connection between the gravitational force on a dancer, the upward force of using the floor, and the strength and mass needed to counter the gravitational force in order to dance.
Thank you for highlighting the importance of units and the general equation of a line. I also really liked your illustration of lab data.
ReplyDeleteWonderful real-world connection! I think THE PHYSICS OF DANCE could definitely be a "running theme" in your blog - I learned a lot from the LS link and will try to incorporate some of the information into our class. Great Work!