Question

part ii - newtons second law
a. reset the sim, dont forget to check force, values and speed again. remove the box and place a garbage can on top of the skateboard. using your timer/phone, measure the amount of time it takes to reach maximum speed using a force of 50 n. try this again with forces of 100n, and 200n.
b. reset the sim, check all boxes to show all data. set the applied force to 200 n right. using your timer/phone, measure the amount of time it takes to reach maximum speed. repeat with 100 kg, 150 kg, and 200 kg. record your findings!
summary
newtons second law states \the acceleration of an object as produced by a net force is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force, in the same direction as the net force, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object.\ explain how your observations in both a and b support this law.

Explanation:

In part a, when the mass is constant (garbage can on skateboard), as the applied force increases (from 50N to 100N to 200N), the time to reach max speed decreases. According to \(F = ma\) (\(a=\frac{F}{m}\)), a larger force leads to a larger acceleration (\(a=\frac{v - u}{t}\), assuming \(u = 0\), \(v=at\), so \(t=\frac{v}{a}\)). Since \(v\) (max - speed) is likely constant (simulation - related, same end - speed assumption), a larger \(a\) (from larger \(F\)) means smaller \(t\), showing acceleration (related to \(t\)) is directly proportional to force.

In part b, when the force is constant (200N), as the mass increases (from 50kg to 100kg to 150kg to 200kg), the time to reach max speed changes. Using \(F = ma\) (\(a=\frac{F}{m}\)), a larger mass gives a smaller acceleration. Since \(v = at\) (\(u = 0\)), for a constant \(v\), a smaller \(a\) (from larger \(m\)) means a larger \(t\), showing acceleration (related to \(t\)) is inversely proportional to mass.

Answer:

The observations in part a show that with constant mass, increasing force leads to a decrease in the time to reach max - speed (implying higher acceleration), supporting the direct proportionality of acceleration to force. In part b, with constant force, increasing mass leads to changes in the time to reach max - speed (implying changes in acceleration inversely related to mass), thus supporting Newton's Second Law.