Purpose: the Purpose of This Lab Is to Measure the Acceleration of a Moving Object

Name ______

Date ______Period ______

Acceleration Lab

Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to measure the acceleration of a moving object.

Materials: One marble, one meterstick, masking tape, ramp, 3 books, and two stopwatches.

Apparatus:

Procedure:

1. Set up the lab as shown in the diagram above.

2. Let the marble go down the ramp and start both stopwatches when the marble reaches the Start Time mark.

3. Stop the first stopwatch when the marble reaches the ONE METER mark.

4.  Stop the second stopwatch when the marble reaches the TWO METER mark.

5.  Record your times and distances into your data table and use this information to calculate the rate of acceleration (how fast your marble slows down or speeds up) of your marble between the one and two meter marks.

6.  Repeat this procedure four more times for a total of five trials.

7.  Calculate the average rate of acceleration for your marble in m/s/s.

Data:

Trial / Time 1
T1 / Distance 1 / Velocity 1
Vi / Time 2
T2 / Distance 2 / Velocity 2
Sf / T2 – T1
DT / Acceleration
A= Vf - Vi
Dt
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5

Average rate of acceleration (Show All Work Including Formula):

Analysis:

1.  Looking at your data, would a nonobserver say that your marble is speeding up or slowing down? How could they tell?

2.  Acceleration is a change in speed over time. A force must be applied in order for acceleration to occur. What were the forces that caused the initial positive acceleration of your marble and the negative acceleration of your marble?

3.  What is the purpose of doing five trials and averaging your results?

4.  Describe a “real life” situation in which you have experienced positive or negative acceleration. What force(s) caused this acceleration?

5.  Describe how you would measure the rate of acceleration of a car approaching a stop sign.

6.  Describe how you would measure the rate of acceleration of a car taking off from a stop sign.