Analysis of Data

Part I.
In the first part of the experiment, we had to compute for the work and power done
by the fan cart. Before we calculate them, we had to find the force of the fan cart first using
the given setup:

Fan Cart

Dynamics Track

Pan + Weight of Mass

The weight that makes the fan cart stationary is equal to the force done by the fan
cart. Doing this we found out the force which is 0.441N. Now we proceeded in solving for
the work and power.
Two photogates were placed 20cm apart on the dynamics cart and it increases by
20cm in every trial. This would capture the time that the cart takes in covering the given
distance. The setup and data gathered are as follows

Fan Cart

20cm

Trial

Displacement, S

Time, t

0.20 m

0.3216 sec

0.40 m

0.5534 sec

0.60 m

0.7572 sec

0.80 m

0.9552 sec

We can see from the data above that as the displacement increases, the time it
takes to cover the corresponding distance also increases making them directly proportional.
Now to compute for work, we can use the relationship, Work(W) is equal to the Force(F)
multiplied to the displacement(S), since work is the force done over a given distance. It is
measured in Joules.

For trial 1, here are the sample computations:

)(

The values of work for all the trials are as follows:

Trial

Work

0.0882 Joules

0.1764 Joules

0.2646 Joules

0.3528 Joules

We can see that as the displacement increases the work done by single force also
increases, also creating a directly proportional relationship. The farther you exert a force the
more work will be done.
Now the only thing left to calculate is the power. First we define power, Power is the
rate of doing work. It is measured in watts. Thus the relationship:

We already have values for work and time so now we can compute for power:

For trial 1, here are the sample computations:

The values of power for all the trials are as follows:

Trial

Power

0.2743 watts

0.3188 watts

0.3494 watts

0.3693 watts

Still, the relationship of power to work is directly proportional but inversely with
time. Meaning the more work an object does over a specific period of time the more power
it exerts.

Part II.

The next part of the experiment is finding for the work done by a force on a curved
path and its gravitational potential energy. Work was already defined in the first part, but
now gravitational potential energy is required. Gravitational potential energy is the energy
concerned in a system due to the position of the body or height. The other type of potential
energy is elastic energy which is concerned with systems with springs. But it will not be
used in our experiment, so it will be just set aside for this time. This part of the experiment
will be performed using the given setup:


L
m
Spring Balance
hf
ho

We measured the following data first, they will be useful in proceeding in the
experiment when we compute for the work and gravitational potential energy.

Length of String, L

0.305 m

Weight of Mass, W

2.94 N

Initial Height, ho

0.165 m

We position the hanging mass 30o with respect to the iron stand and we measured
the force required to place it there using a spring balance. Then, we measured the final
height of the hanging mass, which is 0.20 m in Trial 1. After that, we now have the initial
height and final height which can be used to get the increase in height by subtracting the
latter from the former. Gravitational Potential Energy can now computed by the formula,

The following shows the computations for Trial 1 for Gravitational Potential Energy:

)
(

Computing for work, we can use the formula presented in the first part of the
experiment relating Work with force and its displacement. But before we could directly apply
that we must first find its displacement. Values presented will come from Trial 1,

30o
Y

))

( (

))

))

There will be 4 trials in each trial the angles 30o, 45 o, 60 o and 90 o respectively will
be used as angle.
Here are the complete values for all of the trials for part 2:

Increase
in
height,
h

Angle,

Trial

Force

Final
Height,
hf

Displacement,
X

Work

Gravitational
Potential
Energy

1.5 N

0.20 m

0.035 m

30

0.1525 m

0.1209 Joules

0.1201 Joules

2N

0.25 m

0.085 m

45

0.2157 m

0.2626 Joules

0.2499 Joules

3.5 N

0.32 m

0.155 m

60

0.2641 m

0.4484 Joules

0.4557 Joules

5.5 N

0.46 m

0.295 m

90

0.305 m

0.8967 Joules

0.8673 Joules

Conclusion

The first objective of the experiment was to determine the power of the fan cart by
using the definition of work and the energy conservation principle. The power of the fan cart
was found using the definition of power based on the theory presented. Before power can
be computed, work must be known, if not, like the case in our experiment, it must be
solved first. Looking at the results, I can conclude that work shares a direct proportionality
with force and displacement, while power is directly proportional to work and inversely with
time. Proper understanding of the theories behind work, energy and power will help in
answering problems related to it.
The second objective is computing for the work of a motion along a curved path. The
length of the string L, weight of the hanging mass and the initial height must be known by
measuring them within the setup. We found values for work and gravitational potential
energy. These values only had a fraction of discrepancy for their values. Meaning the work
done and the gravitational potential energy in the given system are the same. This
statement will only apply to systems with the same setup and situation. The relationship of
work and displacement are directly proportional. As the increase in height increases, which
is the displacement, the work also increases showing the relationship I mentioned.