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Uniformly Accelerated Motion
Uniformly Accelerated Motion
Procedure:
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Brown University Physics 0050/0070
Physics Department L-3 Uniformly Accelerated Motion
(1) The air track has been carefully leveled in advance. Do not try to change this
adjustment. If you believe that your air track might be not be properly leveled,
then consult the laboratory assistant. The TA will show you how to install the
tape and operate the air blower and timer.
(2) Connect one end of the string to the glider and the other end to some weights
of known mass. Ask your TA for a suitable value for the attached weights.
(3) Pull the glider back to starting position. Start the timer and release the glider.
(4) Repeat for various weights. Always remember to use new tape for each
different weight value and record those values on the tape so that you don’t
get confused or forget.
(5) Analyze the data from each run as in L-4. Select the first distinguishable mark
on each tape as t = 0. Record tables of distance as a function of time. Plot
these data points on a graph. Use this graph to check for gross errors, calculate
instantaneous velocities, test for constant acceleration, and calculate v0 and a.
Use the methods from L-4.
Addendum:
The dynamical relations are simple; and they predict the acceleration. Let m1 be
the mass of the weights. Then a force of F = m1g is exerted downward on this body. The
string pulls back with tension T1. Newton’s second law becomes
The only net force on the glider (m2) is the string tension T2:
T2 = m2a2. (2)
If the string does not appreciably change length during the run, both bodies traverse equal
distances in equal times. Thus, velocity and acceleration also remain equal. So, a1 = a2 =
a. Also, because m1and m2 are the only appreciable masses in the system, T1 = T2 = T.
Therefore, a can be computed from Eqs. 1 and 2, and compared with the measured
values.
Reference:
R.P. Feynman, et al, Lectures on Physics, Vol 1, Ch. 8 (Addison Wesley, 1963).
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