Name: Briana Blessitt, Alexa Marshall, Narish Singh Physics Mr.

Bradshaw 20 January 2012 Force Table Lab CASE 1 vector 1 2 3 TOTAL Mass kg .2 .2 .2 Magnitude N 1.962 1.962 1.962 Direction (deg) 0 120 240

Period: 9 Section/Group: 9

x-component 1.962 -.981 -.981 0

y-component 0 1.699 -1.699 0

CASE 2 vector 1 2 3 TOTAL Mass kg .2 .1 .24 Magnitude N 1.962 .981 2.3544 Direction (deg) 0 90 206 x-component 1.962 0 -2.116 -.154 y-component 0 .981 -1.032 -.051

CASE 3 vector 1 2 3 TOTAL Mass kg .24 .26 .14 Magnitude N 2.3544 2.5506 1.3734 Direction (deg) 0 150 270 x-component 2.3544 -2.2089 0 .1455 y-component 0 1.2753 -1.3734 -.0981

CASE 4 vector 1 2 3 TOTAL Mass, kg .31 .22 .21 Magnitude, N 3.0411 2.1582 2.0601 Direction (deg) 0 140 225 x-component 3.0411 -1.6533 -1.4567 -.0689 y-component 0 1.3873 -1.4567 -.0694

CASE 5 vector 1 2 3 TOTAL Mass, kg .1 .1 .22 Magnitude, N .981 .981 2.1582 Direction (deg) 300 308 127 x-component .4905 .6040 -1.299 -.2045 y-component -.8496 -.7730 1.7236 .101

CASE 6 vector 1 2 3 TOTAL Mass, kg .15 .15 .22 Magnitude, N 1.4715 1.4715 2.1582 Direction (deg) 99 21 240 x-component -.2302 1.3738 -1.0791 .0645 y-component 1.4534 .5273 -1.8691 .1116

Analysis: 1. What do you think your x and y components should have added up to and why? The x and y components should have a resultant of zero because the net force between the three vectors should be zero newton. The forces acting on the ring should be both horizontally and vertically equilibrant. The ring at the center of the force table would be at equilibrium (or at rest) since there is no force to move the ring around. This can be represented by the equation A + B + C = R (in which R is the resultant vector).

2. Did they add up to it? Where do you think error might have entered into your experiment? The x and y components did not add up to zero. Possible sources or error within this experiment may have been caused by an unbalanced force table, miscalculations of the forces added and the angles, and not accounting for the weight of the string

3. This lab was an exercise in vector analysis. Where in everyday life could an understanding of vector analysis be useful? Specifically address about how the vectors are used and analyzed. (They dont have to be force vectors.) An understanding of vector analysis can be applied to the motion a plane experiences while in flight. For example, a plane traveling northwest from New York to Canada at 100 m/s has both x and y components. To accurately calculate the planes displacement and distance during flight a Global Positioning System (GPS) is normally used. It graphs the planes displacement for Point A to Point B by visually indicating the x and y axis. This is very important because without proper direction and visual representation a pilot would not be able to arrive at a specific destination. Conclusion In this lab, we learned vectors have both direction and magnitude. Vectors can be used to analyze situations in which forces are displaced. An understanding of vector analysis can also apply to everyday scenarios such as commutes to schooling, taking the elevator, and climbing up staircases. We identified the properties of an object or objects at static equilibrium. However, our data for Cases 2 through 6 indicated that our forces were not truly equilibrant; hence resulting in to a vector sum not equal to zero. Possible sources or error within this experiment may have been caused by an unbalanced force table, miscalculations of the forces added and the angles, and not accounting for the weight of the string. This lab was very effective in demonstrating the principle of Static Equilibrium and resultants of multiple vectors.

Works Referenced

Serway, R., & Faughn, J. (2006). Physics. (pp. 81 - 106). Austin, Texas: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.