We did this lab where we needed to see how velocity is related to centripetal force. What we did is we had a hanging mass held by a string that goes through a glass tube. The rope came out the other end of the glass tube and was attached to a rubber stopper. We then swung the rubber stopper ten times at constant velocity and measured the period of one rotation. We then increased the mass hanging at the end of the rope (not the mass being swung).
1. What if the hanging mass was not truly stationary, but actually moving back and forth? Explain how would that affect the tension, and therefore the velocity of the swinging mass?
2. What major assumption are you making about the motion of the swinging mass?
3. Obtain in what ways did you control your variables?
4. If the rope was cut during the experiment, describe the resulting motion of the swinging and hanging mass?