Physics Laboratory Activities

Uniformly Accelerated Motion Updated on March 23, 2023

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Course Code/Section: Date:

Laboratory Activity No.: 4

UNIFORMLY ACCELERATED MOTION

Objectives
1. To investigate the relationship of the speed of an object moving down an inclined plane and the elapsed
time
2. To determine the acceleration of an object moving down an inclined plane
3. To compare the measured acceleration with the theoretical value
4.
5.

List of Materials
Photogate sensor Ruler
Cart Base and support rod
Picket fence Linear track
Bumper

Theory
When an object from rest accelerates uniformly along a flat surface, its velocity 𝑣 increases linearly
with time 𝑡. This velocity is given by

𝑣 = 𝑎𝑡 (1)

where 𝑎 denotes the acceleration of the object which is constant in magnitude and direction.

ℎ
𝜃
𝑔
𝐹𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑒 4 − 1: An object in an inclined plane

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Physics Laboratory Activities
Uniformly Accelerated Motion Updated on March 23, 2023

Consider a block placed on a smooth inclined plane as shown in Figure 4-1. The acceleration due to
gravity points directly downward but can be decomposed into its components that are perpendicular and
parallel to the plane. Hence, as the block moves downward the inclined plane, its acceleration is simply the
component of the acceleration due to gravity parallel to the plane, i.e.

𝑎 = 𝑔 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 (2)

Experimental Procedure

A. Computer Setup
1. Connect the interface to the computer and turn it on. The switch is in front panel of the interface.
2. Plug in the photogate’s sensor to the Digital Input 1 of the interface.
3. Launch the Capstone software in the computer to create a new experiment file.
4. Under the Tools palette (left side of the window), click the “Hardware Setup.” Click the Digital Input 1
port and from the drop-down list, select “Picket Fence.”
5. Check the default settings of the picket fence by clicking the photogate’s “Properties symbol” (look for
the general options icon ). A window will open that will allow you to change the “Flag Spacing”
of the picket fence.
Note: The “Flag Spacing” refers to the distance between two consecutive opaque bands of the picket
fence to be used (Figure 4-2). By default, it is set to 0.05m in the Capstone software. To confirm the flag
spacing, use a ruler to measure it before proceeding to the experiment.

𝐹𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑒 4 − 2: Picket fence with a flag spacing of 5 cm

6. Double click the graph icon under the display palette at the right side of the window. On the
displayed graph, set the y-axis to “Speed (m/s)” and the x-axis to “Time (s)” by clicking the <Select
Measurement> button.
7. To add another plot area, double click again the graph icon. Set the y-axis to “Acceleration (m/s2)” and
the x-axis to “Time (s).”

B. Equipment Setup
1. Place the linear track on a horizontal surface. Measure its length and denote it as 𝐿.
2. If not installed, mount a bumper on the open end of the track.
3. Raise one end of the track by 10cm using a support rod. Denote this height as ℎ.
4. Put the picket fence on top of the cart.
5. Mount the photogate sensor above the track. Its height should be enough to allow the cart with the
picket fence to pass through it.
Note: Make sure the sensor’s beam is hitting the series of bands of the picket fence. To check, move the
cart (with picket fence) through the sensor. The light on the sensor turns on when the photogate beam
is blocked and turns off otherwise.

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Physics Laboratory Activities
Uniformly Accelerated Motion Updated on March 23, 2023

C. Data Recording
1. At ℎ = 10cm, hold the cart at the top of the track so that it is in contact with the bumper.
2. Release the cart and click the record button in the Capstone window simultaneously. Stop the cart
before it hits the stopper at the bottom of the track.
3. Stop recording by clicking the stop button .
4. To find the equation of the line of best fit with the data points in the speed vs time graph (or 𝑣 − 𝑡
graph),
a. Click the 𝑣 − 𝑡 graph in the Capstone window.
b. Click the select data icon to highlight the data points to be included in the linear fitting. A
highlighted box will appear on the screen. Drag it to cover the data points. Its dimensions can also
be adjusted to cover your selection.
c. Click the curve fit icon and choose the “Linear: mt + b” fit. The equation that will appear
corresponds to the line of best fit with the selected data points where 𝑚 and 𝑏 are the slope and the
y-intercept of the line, respectively.
5. The average acceleration can be obtained from the acceleration vs time graph (𝑎 − 𝑡 graph).
a. Click the 𝑎 − 𝑡 graph.
b. Highlight the range of data points in the graph (see step 4.b.).
c. Toggle the statistics tool icon and select “Mean” from the dropdown list.
d. Record the mean or the acceleration of the cart in Table 1.
6. Repeat steps 1 – 5 for two (2) more trials.
7. Record data in Table 1.
8. Take a screenshot of the graphs, paste them in the Graphs section of the worksheet.
9. Repeat steps 1 – 8 for ℎ = 15cm and ℎ = 20cm. Complete Tables 2 and 3.

Setup (10 points)

(Illustrate here the experiment setup. Label the materials and equipment.)

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Physics Laboratory Activities
Uniformly Accelerated Motion Updated on March 23, 2023

Observations (20 points)

A. Tables

Table 1
Length of the track, 𝐿 = _____________ cm
Inclination of the track 𝜃 = _____________ °

Acceleration
Height ℎ Slope of the 𝑣 − 𝑡
Run (Experimental)
(cm) graph
m/s²
1 10
2 10
3 10
Average

Table 2
Length of the track, 𝐿 = _____________ cm
Inclination of the track 𝜃 = _____________ °

Acceleration
Height ℎ Slope of the 𝑣 − 𝑡
Run (Experimental)
(cm) graph
m/s²
1 15
2 15
3 15
Average

Table 3
Length of the track, 𝐿 = _____________ cm
Inclination of the track 𝜃 = _____________ °

Acceleration
Height ℎ Slope of the 𝑣 − 𝑡
Run (Experimental)
(cm) graph
m/s²
1 20
2 20
3 20
Average

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Physics Laboratory Activities
Uniformly Accelerated Motion Updated on March 23, 2023

B. Graphs

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Physics Laboratory Activities
Uniformly Accelerated Motion Updated on March 23, 2023

Analysis (50 points)

1. (10 points) Describe all the 𝑣 − 𝑡 graphs and 𝑎 − 𝑡 graphs. What do these graphs tell you about the motion
of the cart?

2. (10 points) Discuss the physical significance of the slope of a 𝑣 − 𝑡 graph. What does a positive slope, a
negative slope, and zero slope mean?

3. (5 points) How does the acceleration determined from the velocity distribution compare to the mean value
of acceleration from the plot of acceleration distribution?

4. (5 points) In each inclination, solve for: (a) the theoretical value of the cart’s acceleration using equation 2
and (b) percent error of the experimental value of acceleration.

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Physics Laboratory Activities
Uniformly Accelerated Motion Updated on March 23, 2023

5. (15 points) (a) Use the average experimental acceleration from each table (Tables 1 - 3) to plot 𝑎 vs sin 𝜃
where 𝜃 refers to the inclination of the track. (b) Interpret the graph. (c) What is the slope of the graph?
What is its physical meaning?

6. (5 points) Enumerate five (5) sources of errors.

Conclusion (20 points)

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