Assignment:
In this lab activity, you will investigate the motion of an object and create a position-time graph and a velocity-time graph based on your data.
Materials:
• stopwatch with lap feature
• battery-powered toy car
• wind-up toy car
• tape measure or meter stick
• long, flat surface
• duct or masking tape
• colored pencils
Procedure:
1. Using the tape, mark a starting point and an ending point on the floor.
2. Mark several (3 to 5) positions in between, keeping the distance between each piece of tape the same.
3. Measure the distance from the starting point to each piece of tape using the meter stick or tape measure. Record your distances.
4. Place the battery-powered car behind the starting line (the first piece of tape).
Turn it on, and at the same time it starts to move, start the stopwatch.
5. Each time the car reaches a new piece of tape, press the lap button on the stopwatch. Be consistent with when you press the lap button. For example, push it each time the car's front wheels hit a piece of tape. Record the times.
6. Repeat steps 4 to 5 several more times (at least four).
7. Repeat steps 4 to 6, but this time, use the wind-up car.
Analysis:
1. Find the average time(s) for each distance.
2. Plot the averages on a position vs. time graph. (NOTE: You can make two separate graphs, or you can plot the data from the battery-powered car in one color and the data from the wind-up car in a different color.)
3. Calculate how fast each car was going by determining the slope of the lines on your position-time graph. Since velocity is the change in position over time, the slope of the line gives you the velocity of the car.
4. Plot the velocity of each car on a velocity vs. time graph. (Again, you may create two separate graphs or one graph with two different color lines.)
Questions:
Answer each of the following questions.
1. What do you notice about the slopes of the lines on the position vs. time graph? Why are there differences in these lines?
2. What do you notice about the lines on the velocity vs. time graph? What accounts for these differences?
Attachment:- Lab-Graphic Motion.rar