Question

How does the distance an object travels affect the force with which it hits a spring scale?

I am doing a lab for science class and havent really found any good reaconing. If you have sources for this, please out the link in the answr! Thanks!!!

Answer 1

if the ball is dropped above the spring scale, then the further it travels, the greater force it carries when it hits the spring scale.
If the ball is slid past a table to hit the spring scale, then the further it travels, the less force it carries.

Explanation:

if the ball is dropped above the spring scale, then it will accelerate downward at a constant rate, so the further it travels , the more time it has to accelerate before it hits the spring scale, the faster its speed when it hit the spring scale.

the momentum an object has is proportional to its velocity (speed with a direction) and mass.
`P=vxxm`
in this case, if the speed of the ball is greater , so it would have more momentum towards the spring, hitting the spring scale with a greater force.

If the ball is thrown and slid past the table, it does not accelerate towards the spring scale but accelerate in the opposite direction. This is due to the frictional force between its surface and the table's surface.
also, the gravitational force acting on it pulls it down, but it is overcame by the normal force of the table (the table wants to be straight and not curved by the ball). Gravity also causes the surface to rub together harder, creating friction.

Thus, the further it travels sliding on the table, the less speed it would have when it hits the spring scale, and thus the less force it would exert on the spring scale.

sorry about being a bit talkative. I hope this helps you