Investigative Question

Investigative Question
How does the mass and the force applied of a

moving object affect its acceleration?
Hypothesis
I think that increasing the force applied and mass

does increase acceleration
Method
Apparatus
• Toy truck (1)
• Elastic bands (6)
• Stopwatch (1)
• Plank (1)
• Sandpaper
• Nails (2)
• Hammer
• Tin beans used for weights (3)
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Paper
Method
1.Use sandpaper to smoothened plank to

minimize friction
2.Use hammer to place nails at the edge of the
plank
3.Mark the plank with a pencil to determine the
starting line of the toy truck (this
measurement can be used to calculate the
accurate distance of the toy truck
4.Place the first elastic band on the nails and
dust the runway to avoid friction
5.Place first tin on toy truck and tighten with
elastic band for firmness
6.Pull toy truck back to starting line and
release (don’t pull it back to far or elastic will
snap)
7.Use stopwatch to time the toy truck from
when it was released to when it exactly
stopped
8.Use ruler to measure distance between
starting line and the distanced the toy truck
travelled
9.Record all measurements accordingly on
paper
10. Repeat steps 6-9 to get a total of 3
measurements then divide by 3. This can
give you a rough estimate
11. Place second tin to first and tighten with
elastic band. Repeat steps 6-10
12. Place third tin to the other two and
tighten with elastic band. Repeat steps 6-10
13. Place second elastic band to nails and
repeat steps 5-12
14. Place third elastic band to nails and
repeat steps 5-12
15. Check all your results and complete the
experiment
Variables
 Force applied (elastic bands)

 Time (between when toy was released and
when it stopped)
 Distance (between starting line and where
toy stopped)
 Mass (of toy and tin beans)
Independent Variables
 Mass
 Force applied
Dependant Variables
 Time
 Distance
Control Variables
There were no constant variables in my

experiment. Even force applied could not be the
same throughout the experiment. Only mass was
constant at certain times
Results
Values taken of the mass of 1 tin when using 1 elastic band
Attempt Time Distance
1
2
3
Average
Values taken of the mass of 2 tins when using 1 elastic band

1
2
3
Average
Values taken of the mass of 3 tins when using 1 elastic band

1
2
3
Average
Values taken of the mass of 1 tin when using 2 elastic bands

1
2
3
Average
Values taken of the mass of 2 tins when using 2 elastic bands

1
2
3
Average

1
2
3
Average
Values taken of the mass of 1 tin when using 3 elastic bands

1
2
3
Average

1
2
3
Average

1
2
3
Average
Discussion
Increasing the force and mass in my experiment

did cause a change in acceleration
According to my results, it has proved Newtons
Second Law of Motion. The law states:
Whenever a resultant force is exerted on an
object, it causes the object to accelerate in the
direction of the resultant force. This acceleration
is directly proportional to the resultant force and
inversely proportional to the mass of an object.
Newton's second law of motion pertains to the
behavior of objects for which all existing forces
are not balanced. The second law states that the
acceleration of an object is dependent upon two
variables
 The force acting upon the object and the
mass of the object.
 The acceleration of an object depends
directly upon the net force acting upon the
object, and inversely upon the mass of the
object.
As the force acting upon an object is increased,

the acceleration of the object is increased. As the
mass of an object is increased, the acceleration
of the object is decreased.
Therefore my toy truck increased its acceleration
when I increased the force and decreased its
acceleration when I increased my mass.
Evaluation
Although my experiment was successful, it was

not 100% accurate due to a lack of scientific
equipment and conditions
• I could not calculate the exact time between
when the toy truck was released to when it
stopped. Due to human error I could not stop
the watch fast enough
• The applied forces were not constant. Eg
when I calculated acceleration for the
different masses using one elastic band, they
did not equal to each other
• Times could not be accurate due to the force
of friction
• The surface area where I placed my plank
was uneven making it unbalanced
• The elastic bands I used were to weak to
handle the amount of tension and snapped
becoming frail
Bibliography
• Britannica 2008 encyclopaedia
• Study and Master Physical Science Gr 11
• Mr Y Govender for Newtons ii Law
• http/www.physicsclassroom.com

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Investigative Question

How does the mass and the force applied of a

I think that increasing the force applied and mass

• Toy truck (1)

• Elastic bands (6)

1.Use sandpaper to smoothened plank to

 Force applied (elastic bands)

There were no constant variables in my

Values taken of the mass of 2 tins when using 1 elastic band

Values taken of the mass of 3 tins when using 1 elastic band

Values taken of the mass of 1 tin when using 2 elastic bands

Values taken of the mass of 2 tins when using 2 elastic bands

Values taken of the mass of 3 tins when using 2 elastic bands

Values taken of the mass of 1 tin when using 3 elastic bands

Values taken of the mass of 2 tins when using 3 elastic bands

Values taken of the mass of 3 tins when using 3 elastic bands

Increasing the force and mass in my experiment

As the force acting upon an object is increased,

Although my experiment was successful, it was

• Britannica 2008 encyclopaedia

• Study and Master Physical Science Gr 11

• Mr Y Govender for Newtons ii Law

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