Experiment #21 from Physics with Vernier

The portability of the data-collection equipment makes it ideal for studying accelerations that occur outside the physics laboratory. Some interesting situations are the automobile and amusement park rides, as well as high-speed elevators, motorcycles, and go-carts. An accelerometer measures the acceleration in a specific direction. You will need to choose an appropriate time scale and the direction in which to hold the Accelerometer to obtain meaningful information. Obtaining acceleration data from independent kinematics measurements can transform an informal study into an empirical evaluation of a mathematical model.