Lab motion on an inclined plane

Objective: What type of motion does a cart release from rest on an inclined plane experience?
Materials:
• Recording timer
• 2m ticker tape
• Cart
• Ramp
Procedure:
1. Set up the ramp, making it steep enough that the cart will speed up considerably on the way down. Use the recording timer to make a record of this motion on a 2m length of ticker tape.
2. To analyze the tape, divide itinto convenient time intervals, as indicated in section 1.4. In this investigation, however, measure the displacement travelled during each interval, and not the total displacement for the trip.
3. If each time interval consists of six dots, each representing 1/60 s, the each interval lasts for 1.10s (6 x 1/60s= 0.10 s). Use this time to calculate the velocity for each interval.
4. Prepare adata table in order to record the information.
5. Record your displacement and time measurements in the data table. Complete the table by calculating the average velocity for each interval.
6. Use this table to plot a velocity-time graph, with time plotted horizontally, as before.
7. Examine the plotted points and try to decide what shape of graph they imply. Then draw either a smooth curve of thestraight line which best fits the plotted data.

Observations (Data Table):

Time(s) Position (cm) Displacement (cm) Velocity(cm/s)
0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0
0,1 1,1 1,1 11,0
0,2 2,2 1,1 5,5
0,3 3,6 1,4 4,7
0,4 5,5 1,9 4,8
0,5 7,9 2,4 4,8
0,6 10,5 2,6 4,3
0,7 13,5 3,0 4,3
0,8 16,5 3,4 4,3
0,9 20,6 3,7 4,1
1,0 24,7 4,1 4,1
1,1 29,1 4,4 4,0
1,2 33,5 4,4 3,7
1,3 38,7 5,2 4,0
1,4 43,9 5,23,7
1,5 49,3 5,4 3,6

Data Analysis:




Conclusion:
The cart started with a positive velocity due to free fall, but then for most of the time, for some variables, like the paper that connected the ticker timer to the cart was not enough, or the paper got stuck in the ticker timer pulling the cart not permitting to have an optimums velocity; The cart started to lower the velocity untilit stopped. Showing the change in the acceleration, from a positive acceleration at the beginning for 0.5 seconds, to a negative acceleration until the end (1.5s).

Discussion:
1. Describe the cart’s motion as it rolled down the slope.
• The cart motion as it rolled down the slope was at the beginning positive for 0.5 seconds, but then it started to lower down until it stopped. Also as it isshown in the graph, the velocity is not constant; even in the second part, from 0.5 seconds on, because it is not a straight line as the velocity decreased.
2. Calculate the cart’s acceleration by using the slope of your velocity vs. time graph.
• Choose two point on line: (0,0) and (1.3, 4.0)
• Acceleration= Delta Velocity/ Delta Time
• Change in velocity= 4.0cm/s
• Change in time= 1.3s
•Acceleration= 4.0cm/s/1.3s= 3.07cm/s² = 3.1 Cm/s²=Acceleration
3. Calculate the distance travelled by your cart using the area under the velocity vs. time graph.
• Distance = Area between the slope and the x-axis.
• Area Trapezoid + Area Triangle



 
Santiago Lopez
10°F
October 18th, 2011

Uniform Motion

Objective: Is it possible for a person to move with uniform speed?Materials:
• Recording tape
• 1m ticker tape
Proposed Procedure:
1. Set up the timer and thread one end of the tape into it
2. Holding on to the end of the tape, walk several steps while your partner operates the timer. Pull the tape as smoothly and steadily as possible. (In our experiment, instead of walking and pulling the tape, it was taped into a car and the car was pushed through a horizontally,straight surface)
3. Analyze the tape as follows:
a. Select a convenient unit of time. A timer may have a period of 1/60 s. The six dots would represent 0.10 s, a convenient unit.
b. Draw a line across the tape through the first dot on the tape.
c. Draw a line through every six dot all the way along the tape
d. Determine the position end of each 0.10s interval. This is done by measuring...