Atwood's Pulley Lab analysis question

[psneath]

Homework Statement

I did a lab with the Atwood's machine...very simple, just measuring acceleration differences with different masses. In my lab report I need to answer this question though:

given the formula (m₁-m₂)g=(m₁+m₂+I/R²)a, knowing that (m₁-m₂)g is given as the y-variable and "a" is given as the x-variable, explain what the slope and the y-intercept correspond to in this equation

Homework Equations

y=mx+b

The Attempt at a Solution

I figure that (m₁+m₂+I/R²) is slope, and I figure that the y-intercept equals zero, I just can figure out which experimental variables the y-intercept actually corresponds to...

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[anathema]

Dear fellow scientist,

Thank you for sharing your lab report and question with us. It seems like you have a good understanding of the equation and its variables. To further clarify, the slope in this equation represents the ratio of the total mass (m1+m2+I/R2) to the acceleration (a). This means that a larger slope indicates a larger mass and a smaller slope indicates a smaller mass.

The y-intercept, on the other hand, represents the point at which the line crosses the y-axis. In this case, since the y-variable is (m1-m2)g, the y-intercept corresponds to the value of (m1-m2)g when the x-variable (a) is equal to zero. This means that the y-intercept represents the gravitational force acting on the system when there is no acceleration.

I hope this helps clarify the interpretation of the slope and y-intercept in the given equation. Keep up the good work in your experiments and analyses!