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phy 121
Your 'initial timing experiment' report has been received. Scroll down through the document to see any comments I might have inserted, and my final comment at the end.
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Copy this document, from this point to the end, into a word processor or text editor.
* Follow the instructions, fill in your data and the results of your analysis in the given format.
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Note: The majority of student report taking less than an hour on this experiment, though a few report significantly longer times.
Take reasonable care to get good data in this experiment. Try to do the timing as accurately as possible. Measurements of length, height, etc. should be reasonably accurate (e.g., with a meter stick or ruler you can measure to withing +- 1 millimeter, but it's not necessary to try to determine fractions of a millimeter).
In this experiment you will use the TIMER program, a hardcover book, the toy car that came in your lab materials package (or, if you do not yet have the package, a cylinder or some other object that will roll along the book in a relatively straight line), and a ruler or the equivalent (if you don't have one, note the Rulers link, which is also given on the Assignments page).
* The book's cover should be straight and unbent.
* The toy car (or other object) should roll fairly smoothly.
Place the book on a flat level tabletop. You will prop one end of the book up a little bit, so that when it is released the object will roll without your assistance, gradually speeding up, from the propped-up end to the lower end. However don't prop the end up too much. It should take at least two seconds for the ball to roll down the length of the book when it is released from rest. For a typical book, a stack of two or three quarters placed under one end works well.
* Using the TIMER program determine how long it takes the ball to roll from one end of the ramp to the other, when released from rest. Once you've got the book set up, it takes only a few seconds to do a timing, so it won't take you long to time the object's motion at least three times.
* Determine how far the object travels as it rolls from its initial position (where you first click the timer) to its final position (where you click at the end of the interval). This will probably be a bit less than the length of the book, due to the length of the object itself.
* Determine how much higher one end of the book was than the other, and how far it is from the supports (e.g., the stack of quarters, or whatever you used to support one end) to the end of the book which rests on the table.
Then reverse the direction of the book on the tabletop, rotating the book an its supports (e.g., the stack of quarters) 180 degrees so that the ball will roll in exactly the opposite direction. Repeat your measurements.
In the box below describe your setup, being as specific as possible about the book used (title, ISBN) and the object being used (e.g., a can of vegetables (full or empty; should be specified) or a jar (again full or empty); anything round and smooth that will upon release roll fairly slowly down the incline), and what you used to prop the object up (be as specific as possible). Also describe how well the object rolled--did it roll smoothly, did it speed up and slow down, did it roll in a straight line or did its direction change somewhat?
your brief discussion/description/explanation:
I rolled a marble down a standard 3-ring binder, being unable to easily find a large enough book. The marble rolled about 41 centimeters from start to finish. The change in height from the top of the binder to the bottom was almost exactly 2 centimeters. The marble rolled very smoothly in a fairly straight line all the way down.
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In the space indicated below report your data. State exactly what was measured, how it was measured, how accurately you believe it was measured and of course what the measurements were. Try to organize your report so the reader can easily scan your data and identify any patterns or trends.
your brief discussion/description/explanation:
The time from the initial release of the marble until it reaches the end of the binder is reported in seconds. I believe the numbers reported to be fairly accurate, with the possible complication of human error between letting go of the marble and hitting start/stop on the timer. The times were as follows:
1.34 seconds
1.77 seconds
1.52 seconds
1.39 seconds
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Using your data determine how fast the object was moving, on the average, as it rolled down the incline. Estimate how accurately you believe you were able to determine the object's average speed, and give the best reasons you can for your estimate of the accuracy.
your brief discussion/description/explanation:
If the object travelled 41 cm, with an average time of 1.50 seconds, the marble's average speed was 27.3 cm/second. To calculate this, I simply calculated the average time by adding the trial times and dividing by the number of trials, then divided the distance by the resulting average to find an average speed for all the trials.
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How fast was the object moving at the beginning of the timed interval?
According to your previous calculation, what was its average speed during this interval?
Do you think the object, when it reached the lower end of the book, was moving at a speed greater or less than the average speed you calculated?
your brief discussion/description/explanation:
At the very beginning of the interval, the object wasn't moving at all. Therefore, it had to be moving at a higher rate at the end to compensate for the average, if you will.
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List the following in order, from least to greatest. Indicate 'ties': The object's initial speed, its final speed, its average speed, and the change in its speed as it rolled from one end of the book to the other.
your brief discussion/description/explanation:
The initial speed was the lowest, followed I think by the average speed. I am slightly less sure about whether the final of the change was greater, but I suspect that the final speed was the same as the change, since the intial speed was 0. It is probable, therefore, that the final and the change were the same.
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Devise and conduct an experiment to determine whether or not the object is speeding up as it rolls down the incline. If you have set the experiment up as indicated, it should seem pretty obvious that the object is in fact speeding up. But figure out a way to use actual measurements to support your belief.
Explain how you designed and conducted your experiment, give your data and explain how your data support your conclusions.
your brief discussion/description/explanation:
If the marble is indeed speeding up, it would therefore stand to reason that if the incline it is going down were made steeper, the marble would take less time to reach the bottom of the binder, because it would be speeding up at a greater rate. I simply lowered the binder's bottom edge by .5 cm. If the marble takes less time to reach the bottom, it would indicate that it is in fact speeding up as it goes, because now that the angle is steeper it is speeding up faster. Let's give it a try. Reported are the times of the new trial, in seconds.
.96 seconds
1.09 seconds
1.01 seconds
These numbers support my hypothesis-the marble travelled the same distance, but in a shorter period of time. The only explanation for this is that it is travelling at a greater speed, and since all trials in both experiments started at a speed of 0, the only way this is possible is if the marble is speeding up at a greater rate than it did in the previous experiment.
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Your instructor is trying to gauge the typical time spent by students on these experiments. Please answer the following question as accurately as you can, understanding that your answer will be used only for the stated purpose and has no bearing on your grades:
Approximately how long did it take you to complete this experiment?
About 20 minutes.
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You may also include optional comments and/or questions.
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*#&!
@& Nicely done.*@