Question

1. conclusion: explain the relationship observed in question 2 using the term inertia.
2. free body diagram: draw a free body diagram for the cart during trial 4. label the four forces: fg, fn, fapplied, and ff. ensure your vectors show that the fapplied is greater than the ff.

Explanation:

1. For the conclusion about inertia: Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion. If the net - force is constant and the acceleration increases, it implies that the mass (related to inertia) of the object is decreasing. According to Newton's second law \(F = ma\), when \(F\) is constant and \(a\) increases, \(m=\frac{F}{a}\) decreases. Inertia is directly proportional to mass, so a decrease in mass means a decrease in inertia.
2. For the free - body diagram: Draw a cart as a simple rectangle. The force of gravity (\(F_g\)) acts vertically downwards from the center of the cart. The normal force (\(F_N\)) acts vertically upwards from the point of contact between the cart and the surface, equal in magnitude to \(F_g\) if the cart is on a horizontal surface. The applied force (\(F_{applied}\)) acts horizontally in the direction of the cart's motion. The frictional force (\(F_f\)) acts horizontally in the opposite direction of the cart's motion. Draw the arrow representing \(F_{applied}\) longer than the arrow representing \(F_f\) to show that \(F_{applied}>F_f\).

Answer:

1. The relationship in Question 2 (increase in acceleration with constant net - force) can be explained by a decrease in inertia (due to a decrease in mass as per \(F = ma\)).
2. A free - body diagram with \(F_g\) down, \(F_N\) up, \(F_{applied}\) in the direction of motion and longer than \(F_f\) (opposite to the direction of motion) should be drawn for the cart in Trial 4.