Acceleration of a cart on and incline.
We will use the pasco glx and a photogate to measure the speed of a car at various positions on an inclined ramp.
Several experiments will be using photogates throughout the course to time events. Instructions on how to set up photogates using labquest2 have been handed out. Please read and have a copy with you during lab.
Lab procedure.
1)The ramp angle must be measured. You will use a meter stick and trigonometry to determine an appropriate height, and length (rise an run) to determine the ramp angle above the horizontal.
Rise=______Run =______
Ramp angle =______(assume error in ramp angle is small compared to other errors)
2)Place the photogate so that it is 30.0cm down the ramp from the CENTER of your notecard. Releasing the car from rest measure the time the gate is blocked several times and record an average (do your work on scratch paper).
t(blocked)=______
3)Use the time from step 2 to determine the speed of the car after falling along the ramp for 30.0cm. Also calculate several other related quantities.
v(30cm)= ______±______(flag size over t(blocked)---Assume error only comes from flag size
v(0)=______
v(average for trip)=______ (You have the initial and final velocities)
t(from 0 to 30)=______ (Use general definition for average velocity)
a=______±______ (Use v squared equation to solve for a. You have error from v(30) above, and you also have error in 30 cm)
4)Note that gravity causes the car to roll down the ramp, and also that the acceleration is 0 if the ramp is at an angle of 0o and is 9.8m/s2 when the ramp is standing straight up. The ramp angle determines how the acceleration down the ramp is related to gravitational accelerations. For the moment you are given the relation is a=g*sin(). Determine the acceleration due to gravity---use your measured a, and ramp angle.
g(measured)=______±______
this is your big result for the lab.
5)If you have not done so, go back to your recorded measurements, and assign an uncertainty to your “30.0cm” fall. Assume the timing from the photogates is very good. You should have an uncertainty recorded on v(30) and also on x=30.0 cm. Use these and your previous rules to determine an uncertainty in the measured acceleration due to gravity.
6)Using the information you have gathered predict what the speed of the car will be at 60.0cm and 90.0 cm.
v(60)=______v(90)=______
7)If you have time----You may measure the speed at 60.0 and 90.0cm using the photogate at those positions and compare your results to your predictions.
vmeas(60)=______vmeas(90)=______