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Department of Physics
E102: KINEMATICS
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The experiment had different parts: A, B, and C. In part A, the dynamics cart
moves in a straight line but with different displacements and the smart timer
records the time. The launcher is the forced used to move the cart. Since the
objective is to obtain average speed, the equation of instantaneous velocity
(eq. 1) can be used since distance traveled by the dynamics cart can be
considered as displacement.
∆𝑥 𝑑𝑥 𝑥2 − 𝑥1
𝑣𝑥 = lim = = (Eq. 1)
∆𝑡→0 ∆𝑡 𝑑𝑡 𝑡2 − 𝑡1
Also, it can be observed that distance is directly proportional to time. It is
illustrated in graph 1.
In part B, the track is inclined and the force used to move the cart is the
gravity. Therefore, the acceleration of the gravity can be obtained. The
acceleration of the cart is shown by the smart timer. To obtain the
acceleration due to gravity, the following equation was used.
𝑎 = 𝑔 + 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 (Eq. 2)
Where: a = acceleration
ϴ = inclination
After computing the gravity of each trial, the average is determined.
According to table 2, the average experimental gravity has a 4.965% error.
The reason for this is the time. The values of gravity computed are not even
accurate which is the reason for the error. Also, angle is directly proportional
with acceleration as shown in graph 2.
In part C, the acceleration due to gravity is obtained with the use of picket
fence and the photogate. The picket fence will be dropped through the
gate. The smart timer will show the acceleration of the picket fence.
According to table 3, the data has a lower % error. Most likely the reason is
that the distance traveled by the picket fence is parallel to the force acting
on it unlike part B where the distance traveled by the picket fence has an
angle with the force acting on it. Also, part C is direct in determining gravity
and part B is not.
Graph 1 Graph 2
Table 1: Determination of the Average Velocity of a Dynamics Cart
Position of Photogate 1, Xo = 25 cm
Trial Position of Photogate 2 Cart’s Displacement Time Average Speed
1 65 cm 40 cm 0.6265 s 63.8468 cm/s
2 75 cm 50 cm 0.7808 s 64.0369 cm/s
3 85 cm 60 cm 0.9016 s 66.5484 cm/s
4 95 cm 70 cm 1.0843 s 64.5578 cm/s
5 105 cm 80 cm 1.2275 s 65.1731 cm/s
Table 3: Determination of Acceleration Due to Gravity Using Picket Fence and Smart Timer
Trial 1 2 3 4 5 Average % error
Acceleration 973.2 987.1 985.4 991.7 972.3 981.94 0.19796
CONCLUSION
The experiment illustrated methods in determining the acceleration due to
gravity. It also helped in deepening the knowledge regarding motion by
guiding in determining the velocity and acceleration.