Acceleration Lab Report

Acceleration Lab Report

Abstract: In this lab, we studied the motion of a glider as it accelerates downhill at an angle on an air track. Use transitions between different ideas We will verify the following two equations of motion for constant acceleration in one dimension. Where are the equations?

The lab dealt with the dimensional motion in a series of experiments that also deal with the different types of motion in a single direction. This is a very confusing statement. The first experiment, one dimensional motion of a small cart was placed on the air track at a 5 degrees incline or angle and at 10 meters using distances from 10 cm to 1.00 meter displacement; we measured the gravity time with two photogates system. The acceleration was than calculated (using an equation) by the infrared light on the photogates sensing the cart gliding on the air track with a timer. In the second experiment acceleration of a cart traveling down a larger incline of 10 degrees angle staring with a 10 meter to repeating the distances up to 1.00 meter displacement. As the angle increase from 5 degrees to 10 degrees the acceleration also increase from 0.83m/s^2 to 1.8m/s^2.

Introduction: In the one dimensional motion measurements are going to be done on an air track. The air track looked triangularly shaped with small holes which emit air. A corresponding triangularly shaped A cart is placed on top of the track and will move on a cushion of air to take away friction. Hence, the study of acceleration can be done without the inaccuracies that friction brings. We started the cart at the 20cm mark at the first photogate and the second photogate was placed at 30cm mark on the air tack, and we move the second photogate by 10cm increments until it reaches 1.00 meter. The speed of the glider on the track will be measured with photogate timers. The cart glide interrupts a light beam in the second photogate and triggers a timer. The photogate timer can be used to measure either the time for the cart to travel between the two gates the time for the cart to pass through second gate the timer will stop calculating the speed. This is mostly procedure and doesn't belong in the introduction. You should define the relevant terms such as velocity, acceleration, etc... You should also describe the general principles involved in this lab. You may wish to go ahead and introduce the equations that we used (or you can wait and bring those in during the procedure). You should have a purpose statement.

Procedure: We used an Air track set at a five degree angle and two photogate timers; metal cart, photogates, timer, and an angle indicator to measure the distance, speed or velocity, acceleration, and time of a glider moving down an incline. (Velocity and acceleration were calculated not measured.) The air was turned on so the cart will glide through both of the photogates, the first repeat several times, always releasing the glider from the same initial position, to get good average values. Throughout this part, it is important not to move the first photogates from its original positions, but you will move the second photogate by 10cm increments up to a total distance of 1.0 m. Otherwise, you will not be able to compare data taken at different times and you will have to repeat some data-taking. In the first experiment the we set the cart at the 20cm mark on the air tract making sure it line up with first photogate, then the second photogate was set at 30cm mark on the air track as well. We turned the air to glide the cart on the air track and the timer was also turned on this measured the time it took the glider to move that 10 cm distance. from the 20cm mark to the 30cm mark. The data we collected was the used to construct