Haliç University

PHYS101_Physics I_SB:1
Experiment No.2

By: Ahmad Abboud

Department: Computer Engineering
Student number: 20091010071

KINEMATICS OF LINEAR MOTION

Date: 25/11/2020
Purpose:

• Gaining knowledge on acceleration, gravitational acceleration and

relative error calculations.
• Understanding kinematics of linear motion.
• Learning which equations we should use for non-uniform linear motion
and uniform linear motion.

Procedure:

Firstly we set the holder at a height of 20cm, then we measure the

length of the incline plane, calculate sinϴ and write them in Table 2.1,
afterwards we measure the distance between two ends of inclined plane,
then we write it in Table 2.2 (without adding the car’s length), we place
10g worth of weight on the car, let it go from the top of the plane to the
bottom, while doing so we get a stopwatch running so we get the time
and repeat the same process until we reach 5 tries, then we write it in
Table 2.2, we do the exact same procedure after adding 20g and 30g
separately, then we find the average time, acceleration and gravitational
acceleration, and write them in table 2.2, after we do this for all 3
masses, we find the average gravitational acceleration and the relative
error.
Results:
Table 2.1
L(m) h(m) sinθ
1m 0.2m 0.2

Table 2.2
m(g) Number of t (s) Tave (s) x (m) a (m/s2) g (m/s2)
Experiments
1 1,16s
2 1,05s
10 3 1,06s 1,078s 0,92m 1,58m/s² 7,9m/s²

4 1,03s
5 1,09s
1 0,92s
2 0,77s
20 3 0,92s 0,89s 0,92m 2,32m/s² 11,6m/s²

4 0,82s
5 1,03s
1 0,92s

2 0,82s
30 0,88s 0,92m 2,37m/s² 11,85m/s²
3 0,89s

4 0,86s

5 0,94s
 Table 2.2
Gave (m/s2) = 10,45 m/s² Relative Error = %6,5

Calculations:
• sinθ = h / L
• Tave = t1 + t2 + t3 + t4 + t5 / 5
• 𝑥 = 𝑥0+ 𝑣0t + 1/2 𝑎𝑡²
• a = g.sinθ
• Gave = g1 + g2 + g3 / 3
• Relative Error (%) = | (greal – gexperimental ) / greal | 𝑥 100

Evaluations:
When we measure the displacement we don’t add the car’s length,
because if we did we wouldn’t find the right value.
We measure time by using a stopwatch for each time we do the
experiment, we don’t do it once because we’d get an inaccurate result,
so we measure it for each time we do the experiment to get a more
accurate result.
Or experiment is a non-uniform linear motion and acceleration and the
acceleration is constant, because of that we use these equations:
• 𝑣 = 𝑣0 + 𝑎𝑡 ,
 • 𝑥 = 𝑥0 + v0t + 1 / 2 𝑎𝑡²

Relative error is a measure of the uncertainty of measurement compared to

the size of the measurement, we had to calculate it because we didn’t use the
real results, meaning we measured the time 5 times and then we found the
average result using all five results, therefore we calculated the relative error
so we can find the margin of error.
Normally we accept the gravity acceleration as 9.81m/s², but according to our
results we see that it can change, so when we put 10g worth of weight on the car,
the gravity acceleration is 7,7m/s², and if we put 20g worth of weight on the car
the gravity acceleration is 11,6m/s², when we examine these results we can see
that when the amount of grams is increased, the time is decreased, and thus
the acceleration is increased, such thing happens because in the equation if
time changed then the acceleration changes ( 𝑥 = 𝑥0 + v0t + 1 / 2 𝑎𝑡² ), and
when the acceleration changes, the gravity changes ( a = g.sinθ ).

Questions:

1.

displacement-time graph velocity-time graph acceleration-time graph

2.
According to our measurements if the mass changes, the time
changes, and in this equation (𝑥 = 𝑥0 + v0t + 1 / 2 𝑎𝑡²) we know
that the displacement’s value won’t change because we didn’t
change the inclined plane’s length, but the time changes, so the
only way is acceleration to change, a= gsinϴ according to this
equation if acceleration changes the gravity acceleration will
change.

Experimental Errors:
Measuring the time and letting the car go at the same time may be
difficult to do, therefore we may make a mistake, and if we do, the
whole experiment will be false, so we measure the time five times to
find a more accurate value.

References:
Prof. Dr. Oya OĞUZ, Prof. Dr. Ömer OĞUZ, Dr. Serpil CIKIT, Teach.
Assist. Burcu GÜLERYÜZ, Lab. Assist. Ümmühan DURSUN, Physic
Laboratory I Experiments, Haliç University, 2020, 16-22
Written by: Ahmad Abboud