Phy 201
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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Submitted June 7 10:30p.m.
I had trouble getting accurate measurements with this experiment.
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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 used General Chemistry by Ebbing Gammon. The object I used was the toy car from the kit. I used a jump drive to prop the book up. It rolled very smoothly and sped up and rolled in a straight line.
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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 book I used was general chemistry. The book was 1 cm higher at 1 end. I used a jump drive to prop the book up. My times were 1.2, 1.8,1.1. It landed approx. 5 cm from the end of the book on the tabletop each time. I measured the distance where the car landed off the book but it rolled a little ways out each time but not far. It was measured pretty accurately to the best of my ability. It was hard timing and placing the car simultaneously.
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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:
The object was moving at an avg. speed of 7cm/sec which is too fast for me to determine a speed at different intervals of the experiment. I performed the action over and over again until I could get clear estimates and the best I could do was finding only an avg. speed.
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How fast was the object moving at the beginning of the timed interval? It moved 7 cm/sec, 6.5cm/sec, and 7.3cm/sec
According to your previous calculation, what was its average speed during this interval? 6.9 was the avg. speed among the three timed intervals.
You say how far the ball rolled after leaving the end of the book, but not how far it rolled while on the book. Nor do you say in detail how you got your average speeds.
The book's length is likely around 25 cm. The car might be 5 cm long, so I would think that it rolled about 20 cm while on the book. This isn't consistent with the 7 cm/s result you give.
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:
It was moving at a greater speed and was difficult to calculate the measurements.
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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:
It was moving too fast for me to determine 3 different speeds but the avg. speed was 7cm/sec.
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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:
I designed and conducted my experiment using my chemistry book, a jump drive, and the race car from the kit. I used a standard ruler to take the measurements. My data is not conclusive because I could not get accurate measurements. You can see visually that the object is speeding up. All I know to do to increase my accuracy is to improve my motor skills or use something smaller so the object moves at a slower rate. Or I could video tape the experiment with a ruler next to the car so I can play/pause the video at different instances and see the exact timing and placement of the car along the ruler.
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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?
45 min.
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You may also include optional comments and/or questions.
It was extremely difficult to measure the time in this experiment because it went so quickly.
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