Assignment 06

We continue work with the equations of uniformly accelerated motion, contrasting the equation approach with direct reasoning and reasoning by graphical representation.  You will also calibrate a set of rubber bands, obtaining the information necessary to determine the tension force of a given rubber band if its length is known.

In the qa for this assignment you will begin working more extensively with the equations of uniformly accelerated motion, to which you were introduced in the Introductory Problem Set problems of the preceding assignment.

The 'seed' question is designed to develop the ability to identify the quantities v0, vf, `ds, a, `dt, `dv and vAve when they are given in the statement of the problem.  Most students have little difficulty with this, but some have considerable difficulty, and it will be important to address this difficulty for those who do.

The lab exercise will be to calibrate five rubber bands for future use.  Calibration consists of measuring the lengths of the rubber bands as they support a series of known weights, and constructing a table and a series of force vs. length graphs for these rubber bands.  From these tables and graphs you will later be able to determine, with reasonable accuracy, the force exerted by a rubber band once you know its length.  Your results will also later be used to determine the energy required to stretch the rubber bands to various lengths.

A randomized problem asks you to reason out uniform acceleration on an interval, given a set of quantities amenable to reasoning, then to use the equations of uniformly accelerated motion to solve another problem.

The text assignment will still be from Chapter 1.  University Physics students will also be introduced, in Chapter 1 of their text, to vectors and the algebra of vectors.