Physics (AS & A Level) · May / June 2016 · Paper 52 · Question 1

A student is investigating the acceleration of a trolley moving up an inclined plane as shown in Fig. 1.1. trolley inclined plane F e bench Fig. 1.1 The student is investigating the relationship between the acceleration a of the trolley and the angle θ of the inclined plane when a force F is applied to the trolley. It is suggested that the relationship is ma = F – (mg sin θ + k ) where g is the acceleration of free fall, m is the mass of the trolley and k is a constant. Design a laboratory experiment to test the relationship between a and θ. Explain how your results could be used to determine a value for k. You should draw a diagram, on page 3, showing the arrangement of your equipment. In your account you should pay particular attention to • the procedure to be followed, • the measurements to be taken, • the control of variables, • the analysis of the data, • any safety precautions to be taken. [15] 3 Diagram 4 [Total: 15]

Read automatically from the paper; the printed page above is exact.