Name:
Assignment #
Forces and Motion PHET Lab
Part 1: Net force
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/forces-and-motion-basics/latest/forces-and-motion-
basics_en.html
Intro – define the following terms.
Force -
Inertia –
Acceleration –
Net force –
Newtons 1st law of motion –
Part 1 – click on the NET FORCE lab
Information: There are 4 members of the Blue team and 4 members of the Red team
We will identify them by size, Small, Medium, and Large
A. Turn on the SPEED indicator for this part. To measure speed, pause the simulation just before the
cart hits the stopper and read the speedometer. Each line on the speedometer will represent 1
m/s
Complete the table
WHO Prediction – result Speed Direction Why – explain the winning
which color Left/right team won
will win?
1 1 small Red None None won 0
1 small blue
2 2 small Red
1 small Blue
3 2 small red
1 medium
blue
4 1 medium
blue, 1 small
blue
2 small red
5 2 small and 1
medium blue
2 small red
and 1
medium red
6 1 large blue
1 small red
7 1 large red
1 small blue
and 1
medium blue
8 1 large blue
and 2 small
blue
2 small blue
and 1
medium blue
B. Click on values meter.
What is a newton (as it relates to force measurements) –
Complete the table – to measure time you will have to count / or time on your phone
using the stopwatch app.
WHO Left force Right force Speed time direction Net force
1 1 small red
1 small blue
2 2 small red
1 medium
blue
3 1 medium
blue and 1
small blue
2 small red
4 2 small blue
and 1
medium
blue
1 small and
red and 1
medium
red
5 2 small red
and 1 large
red
1 medium
blue and 1
small blue
6 1 large blue
1 small and
1 medium
red
7 1 small, 1
medium, 1
large Red
2 small
and1 large
Blue
8 1 large Red
1 small and
1 medium
blue
9 All the Red
All the Blue
10 1 large red,
1 small red
1 medium
blue and 2
small blue
C. Create a combination with the most unbalanced force as possible.
a. Who is on the red team
b. Who is on the blue team
c. What is the net force
d. What was the speed it traveled
e. What was the time it took
f. What would the acceleration of the block be…remember accel is vf-vi / t
D. Summarize the relationship we learned between motion and applied forces.
E. How does this relate to newtons 1st law of motion?
