CSEC PhysicsSBA GuideLevel 10

Title: Ticker Tape Analysis

Aim: To analyse a ticker tape and calculate distance, speed and
velocity
Materials:

- Ticker timer
- AC power supply
- Ticker tape (50Hz)
- Ruler
- Graph paper
- Calculator
Diagram:

Prepared By: Ms. Shonell Hinds Year 1 Term 1

 CSEC PhysicsSBA GuideLevel 10

Method:

1. Cut a 1-metre section of tape and thread the start of the tape
through the slots in the ticker timer.
2. Write "start" on the short end of the tape – the end that you will
pull.
3. Turn on the power and pull the tape through the machine at
different speeds (slow, medium and fast) in any order. Avoid
stopping altogether.
4. Mark the first clear dot at the start end of the tape with a zero.
Count along ten dots and draw a line through the middle of the
tenth dot. Repeat until the entire tape is divided into 10 dot
sections and then number the sections in order from the start.
5. Measure how far each line is from the zero dot. Record the
measurements in the table below.
6. Analyze the tape to get distance and calculate Speed & velocity
Results:
Section Distance travelled Time taken Average speed
(length of 10-dot section) (s) (cm/s)
(cm)
1
2
3
4
5
6

Prepared By: Ms. Shonell Hinds Year 1 Term 1

CSEC PhysicsSBA GuideLevel 10

7
8
9
Data Analysis:
1) Measure the distance of each section of tape (in cm) and enter it
into the table above.

2) Determine the total time taken to complete each 10 dot interval.

NB: the ticker tape oscillates with a frequency of 50 Hz (50 taps

every second) hence the time elapsed between each dot on the
tape is 1/50= 0.02 sec

3) Calculate the average speed of each section as well as over the

entire journey

4) Plot a distance time graph.

5) Find the slope of each 10 dot section, hence determine to velocity

of each section

Prepared By: Ms. Shonell Hinds Year 1 Term 1