Verifying Newton's second law: the relationship between force and acceleration

Abstract

This experiment investigates the relationship betwen mass, net force, and acceleration in accordance with Newton's second law of motion. A cart was set up on a near-frictionless plane with a pulley system and accelerated by a constant pulling force generated by a 0.100 kg weight. For each of six mass configurations, three trials were conducted, recording the time taken for the cart to travel a fixed distance of 0.800 m. Acceleration was calculated independently for each trial to capture variability, with averages and standard deviations computed as additional supporting evidence. Results demonstrated a clear inverse relationship: the average acceleration decreased from approximately 1.70 m/s² at 0 g  to 0.57 m/s² at 1.000 kg, with low standard deviations indicating consistency across trials. For the 0 g mass configuration, calculated accelerations for individual trials ranged from 1.37-1.93 m/s², while for the 1.000 kg mass, accelerations ranged from 0.44-0.66 m/s². These findings confirm an inverse relationship between mass and acceleration under a constant force, aligning with Newton's prediction that F=ma and supporting the law's applicability in controlled experimental settings.