Plan the investigation
What students will do
Use the student handout to organize predictions, measurements, and explanations.
- Resolve the force. Calculate the magnitude and direction of the applied force vector and predict both acceleration components.
- Compare force and mass. Test the specified cases to isolate the effects of changing one force component or the disk’s mass.
- Start with sideways motion. Give the disk a horizontal velocity while applying a vertical force. Predict and measure its later velocity components.
- Explain the directions. Use vector sketches and measurements to distinguish the directions of velocity, acceleration, and net force.
What students will learn
- Apply Newton’s second law separately to each component.
- Predict how mass and force affect acceleration.
- Distinguish velocity direction from acceleration direction.
Common misconception
Must an object travel along the net-force arrow?
Net force determines acceleration; existing velocity also contributes to the object’s motion.