A standard introductoryphysics lab-experiment to examine

Chapter , Problem 103

(choose chapter or problem)

A standard introductoryphysics lab-experiment to examine the conservation of energy and Newtons laws is shown in Figure 7-57. A glider is set up on a linear air track and is attached by a string over a massless-frictionless pulley to a hanging weight. The mass of the glider is M, while the mass of the hanging weight is m. When the air supply to the air track is turned on, the track becomes essentially frictionless. You then release the hanging weight and measure the speed of the glider after the weight has fallen a given distance (y). (a) To show that the measured speed is the speed predicted by theory, apply conservation of mechanical energy and calculate the speed as a function of y. (b) To verify this calculation, apply Newtons second and third laws directly by sketching a free-body diagram for each of the two masses and applying Newtons laws to find their accelerations. Then use kinematics to calculate the speed of the glider as a function of y.