Experiment 102: Kinematics

Brian Christopher P. Hilado

School of Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering
Mapua Institute of Technology

I. Conclusion

In this experiment, we learn how to find the average velocity of the dynamic cart and the
acceleration due to gravity using cart’s acceleration, picket fence and smart timer. Based on the gathered
data the result was, acceleration is directly proportional to the height of the track therefore it goes much
faster as the height of the track is increasing.

The first part of the experiment is to get the average velocity wherein the cart is traveling in a
straight dynamic track. The cart’s displacement is the final position minus the initial position of the
photogate. As the displacement between the two photogate gets longer, the time increases. Therefore, we
concluded that velocity of the cart is directly proportional to the displacement over time.

For the second part of the experiment, the cart is traveling to a dynamic track which is inclined at
an angle 𝜃. As the height of the track’s inclination at an angle 𝜃 increases, the time that the cart traveled
from its initial position (which is the top part of the inclined track) to its final position decreases. It is
because of the gravitational pull making the cart travels faster in an inclined track and decrease in time
traveled. That’s why we concluded that the acceleration is equal to component of the gravity which is
parallel to the inclined dynamic track. In the case of free falling objects, it’s acceleration is equal to the
gravitational pull near the earth’s surface.

II. Application

We might not observe but velocity and acceleration is part of our daily lives. When we are
walking in a nearby house or street in a constant speed, we don’t experience acceleration. When
acceleration is zero the speed is constant. Acceleration occurs is when we move from one place to another
over time. In this case, a best example is when you are in a mall and your starting location is from the
entrance of the mall, then you started walking from different shops and boutiques inside the mall. After few
hours, you might notice your current location is now far from your starting location. It mainly due to the
acceleration you make. Aircrafts on the other hand has velocity. When pilots are flying the planes, they
have this gadget where they can monitor how fast they are going and if they’re in the right direction. Cars
have speedometer to monitor their speed. Taxis uses GPS to know the direction of their passengers’
destination and how far they traveled. All these applications are practically happening in our daily lives.