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Principle of Moments - Lab

The document describes an experiment to investigate the principle of moments. Weights were secured to a metre rule and spring balance and moved away in increments. The distance and downward force were recorded. As distance from the pivot increased, force on the spring balance also increased, validating the principle of moments - that the torque due to a force depends on the distance from the pivot point. The principle explains why less force is needed to open a door the further the force is applied from the hinge.

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35 views

Principle of Moments - Lab

The document describes an experiment to investigate the principle of moments. Weights were secured to a metre rule and spring balance and moved away in increments. The distance and downward force were recorded. As distance from the pivot increased, force on the spring balance also increased, validating the principle of moments - that the torque due to a force depends on the distance from the pivot point. The principle explains why less force is needed to open a door the further the force is applied from the hinge.

Uploaded by

CaughtIn144p
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Title – Principle of Moments

Aim - To investigate the Principle of Moments

Materials / Apparatus
- Metre Rule
- Weight
- Retort Stand
- Spring Balance
Procedure

1. First, the end of the metre rule was firmly clamped to the top of the retort stand

2. Then, the weights and spring balance were secured to the metre rule

3. The weight was then moved away from the spring balance in increments of 10 with
the force applied on the spring balance being recorded.

Observations

Mass 1 (kg) D1 (m) Force (N) Mass 2 D2 (m) Force (N)


(kg)
5 1 49 10 1.5 98.1
10 2 98.1 20 1 196.2
15 1.5 147.1 15 1.5 147.1
20 0.5 196.2 10 1 98.1

Treatment of Results
- TCM (Total Clockwise Motion) = TACM (Total Anti-Clockwise Motion)
- TUF (Total Upward Force) = TDF (Total Downward Force)

Equation - ∑Tew = ∑Tacw

Tew Tacw
98.1N x 0.5m = 49.0 49.0N x 1m = 49.0
196.2N x 1.0m = 196.2 98.1N x 2m = 196.2
147.1N x 1.5m = 220.7 147.1N x 1.5m = 220.7
98.1N x 1.0m = 98.1Nm 196.2N x 0.5m = 98.1
Discussion

The Principle of Moments states that when a body is balanced, the total clockwise
moment about a point equals the total anticlockwise moment about the same point, e.g. A
seesaw can only be balanced if the force applied on both sides are equal. The formula to
calculate force is equal to F = ma. Examining the data collected we can see as the amount of
force being applied on the spring balance increases as the distance between itself (the spring
balance) and the weight increases. This proves that the downward force a body applies
increases as it moves further away from its turning point, e.g., Less force is needed to open a
door the further away from the hinge the force is applied. The Principle of Moments can and
is used in many ways, e.g., In the making of tools such as the crowbar, as less force is needed
to open something with the use of a crowbar, the further up from the crowbar the force is
applied.

Precautions / Sources of Error


- The precision of the spring balance may have caused reading which were far from the
real value.

Conclusion

In conclusion, through the examination of the data, we can see that the Principle of
Moments is in fact valid, as we can see that the downward force applied by the weight
increases the further away from the pivot the weight is moved

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