Introduction
Analyzing Position vs. Time Graphs: The most fundamental measurements of motion involve the determination of an object’s location at a series of times. A very effective way to represent these measurements is to plot graphs of an object’s position and velocity as a function of time. Learning to relate an x vs. t graph or a vx vs. t graph to what a motion looks like and being able to extract both qualitative and quantitative information from the graphs are vital tools for studying motion.
Objectives
In this activity, you will
- Examine a video clip of a remotely controlled toy car that changes its velocity as it moves away from an ultrasonic motion detector.
- Study motion graphed by Logger Pro from motion detector data to describe the car’s motion qualitatively.
- Learn to use the data, the graphs and Logger Pro Analysis tools to extract quantitative information about the motion.
Sensors and Equipment
This experiment features the following sensors and equipment. Additional equipment may be required.
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This experiment is #3 of Physics with Video Analysis. The experiment in the book includes student instructions as well as instructor information for set up, helpful hints, and sample graphs and data.
