An 8.00-kg box sits on a level floor. You give the box a sharp push and find that it travels 8.22 m in 2.8 s before coming to rest again.

(a) You measure that with a different push the box traveled 4.20 m in 2.0 s. Do you think the box has a constant acceleration as it slows down? Explain your reasoning.

(b) You add books to the box to increase its mass. Repeating the experiment, you give the box a push and measure how long it takes the box to come to rest and how far the box travels. The results, including the initial experiment with no added mass, are given in the table:

In each case, did your push give the box the same initial speed? What is the ratio between the greatest initial speed and the smallest initial speed for these four cases?

(c) Is the average horizontal force f exerted on the box by the floor the same in each case? Graph the magnitude of force f versus the total mass m of the box plus its contents, and use your graph to determine an equation for f as a function of m.

Transcribed Image Text:

Added Mass (kg) Distance (m) Time (s) 8.22 2.8 3.2 3.0 2.6 3.00 10.75 7.00 12.0 9.45 7.10