T.

Parrott

Acceleration Prac
Aim:
To determine the acceleration due to gravity by measuring the
acceleration of a cart on a range of inclined planes (Change this)

Background theory:
The acceleration due to gravity is generally known to have a value
of around 9.8m/s2 near the Earths surface. When an object moves
on an inclined plane, the acceleration relates to the angle of incline
on the track: a = g sin (where a is acceleration). When calculating
the acceleration of an object, change in velocity is divided by the
elapsed time. In position-time graphs, the final velocity can be
determined by looking at the point to the right of the vertex of the
parabola where the gradient of the tangent is at the highest point
and the initial velocity can be identified as the gradient of the
vertex. In acceleration-sin graphs, the gradient of the trend line is
equal to the formula Rise/Run.

Hypothesis:
It is hypothesised that the value of g will add up to the expected
value of g, with some minor altercations expected in the data as a
result of errors. This would be due to the fact that the equations to
calculate g use numerical values that rely on the data that is
recorded, which means the accuracy of the calculations are
dependent on the precision of the measurements taken. As long as
the measurements are accurate, the value for g should equate to
the expected value with some small inaccuracies.

Materials:

1 meter track
Cart
Protractor
Motion sensor
Sparkvue software

Method:
1. Attach the angle indicator and the motion sensor to the track.
2. Set the track on an incline with the motion sensor at the top
end.

T.Parrott

3. Use the SPARKvue, to record position data for the cart as it

moves up and down the incline. Write down the angle and the
data run number.
4. Repeat this procedure with 4 different inclines that range
between 0 and 20 degrees.
5. Save the Sparklab file and email it to all members in your
group.

Results: (images/screenshots, labelled table, graph, one

calculation)
Angle of
incline
Sin (no
units)
Accelerati
on (m/s)

10

15

20

0.09

0.17

0.26

0.34

1.21

2.14

2.26

3.61

Acceleration Graph 1
4
3.5
3
2.5

Acceleration (m/s)

2
1.5
1
0.5
0
0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

Sin

5 image:

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

T.Parrott

5 Degrees Calculations:
10 Degree calculations:

15 Degree calculations:

20 Degree calculations:

The acceleration of the angle of 5 degrees was 1.21 m/s, for 10

degrees it was 2.14 m/s2, for 15 degrees it was 2.26 m/s2, and for 20
degrees it was 3.61 m/s2. From the results it can also be observed
that the calculated values for g were relatively close to the
suspected value, with the average being 11.39 m/s 2. From the graph
it can be calculated that the trend lines value for g was 11 m/s 2.

T.Parrott

Discussion: (errors/improvements, Analysis data,

accept/reject hypothesis)
From studying the results, it can be seen that the average value of g
is 11.39 m/s2 which can be compared to the hypothesised average
of 9.8 m/s2. Some reasons for the collected average being higher
than the hypothesised average maybe due to the speed at which it
was pushed up the ramp, and hence the speed at which it fell to its
starting point. Another reason and possible error could be that the
velocity at which it was pushed up may have forced it to bump into
the motion sensor which may have acted as a force on pushing the
cart down the ramp at a faster velocity than it wouldve had it been
only experienced the free fall acceleration (9.8 m/s 2). Also, by
observing the results, it can be seen that there is a very small
difference between the acceleration of the cart on a 10 degree and
15 degree angle (2.14 m/s2 and 2.26 m/s2). Reasons for this can
include the different speeds at which the cart was pushed up the
ramp. One source of human error is the speed at which the cart was
pushed up the ramp may not have been even. This might have
caused some skewed results (the acceleration for an angle at 10 and
15 degrees) and can reprehended by either completing more tests
or having a device to monitor the force at which the cart is pushed
up the angle.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, it can be seen that the acceleration of a cart pushed
up an inclined angle of 5 degrees is 1.21 m/s 2, 10 degrees is 2.14
m/s2, 15 degrees is 2.26 m/s2 and 20 degrees is 3.61 m/s2. It can
also be seen that the calculated average of g was close to the
hypothesized value of g (calculated value = 11.39 m/s 2,
hypothesized value = 9.8 m/s2). These numbers can be concluded to
show that they support the hypothesis.