A student investigated acceleration using gliders, an air track and light gates - AQA - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 1 - 2018 - Paper 2
Question 1
A student investigated acceleration using gliders, an air track and light gates.
The air track reduces friction between the glider and the track to zero.
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Worked Solution & Example Answer:A student investigated acceleration using gliders, an air track and light gates - AQA - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 1 - 2018 - Paper 2
Step 1
Its acceleration would decrease to zero.
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Answer
The glider's acceleration would decrease to zero when the mass holder strikes the ground. This is because there would be no resultant force acting on the glider once the connection is broken.
Step 2
The resultant force on it would decrease to zero.
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Answer
Simultaneously, the resultant force acting on the glider would also decrease to zero as it no longer has the mass to pull against, resulting in a lack of net force and thus an acceleration of zero.