Name __________________________________
Period _________________________________
Lab: Linear Motion
MYP Physics
Purpose: To explore the motion of objects.
PART 1: Toy Car
Materials: Toy car, stopwatch, meterstick, tape
Procedure:
1.
Using a meter stick, mark a track 5 meters long on the ground. Place a piece of tape every 1 meter.
2.
Start the car in motion and time how long it takes to travel 1 meter. Stop it, then time it to travel 2 meters, then 3
meter, 4 meters, and 5 meters (time each distance separately). Perform 3 trials for each distance. Record your
times in the table below. Be sure to include units on all measurements.
3.
Calculate the average time for each distance and record in the table below.
4.
Figure out a way of determining the speed of the car for each distance. Clearly state in words how you determined
the speed in the space below (you can represent this in equation form if you like). Get this checked by your teacher
before moving on.
5.
Calculate the speed of the object for each distance and record them in your table.
6.
Please remove your pieces of tape from the ground when you have finished the lab.
Distance
traveled
1m
2m
3m
4m
5m
Time
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Average
Speed
Name __________________________________
Period _________________________________
7.
Lab: Linear Motion
MYP Physics
Make a graph of distance traveled (y-axis) and time (x-axis) on the grid provided. Think about whether you should
include the origin (0,0) as one of your data points. Be sure to include labels and values on your axes. Draw in a line
of best fit for your data.
Things to discuss with your group:
•
Is your car speeding up, slowing down, or moving at a constant speed? How do you know?
•
How much time do you think it would take for your car to travel 10 meters? 20 meters?
•
If your car was traveling at a constant speed and took 3 seconds to go 2 meters, how much time do you think it
would take to go 4 meters? 6 meters?
•
Why do we draw a line of best fit and not just connect the dots?
•
How do you calculate slope and what is the slope of your line of best fit?
Name __________________________________
Period _________________________________
Lab: Linear Motion
MYP Physics
PART 2: String Racer
Materials: Meter sticks, Stopwatches, String racer setup
Procedure:
1. Mark off the nylon string in 0.50 m sections with a marker or whiteout (this may already be done).
2. Attach one end of the string to the hook in the wall, and place the string racer on the string. Stretch the string
tightly by holding the other end on the ground (tie a chair on it to keep it tight). It is important that keep the same
tension in the string for the entire lab.
3. Record the time it takes for the String Racer to travel the different distances. Your focus is on getting accurate
data with the least amount of error possible. Be sure to include units in your table.
Distance (m)
0m
0.5 m
1.0 m
1.5 m
2.0 m
2.5 m
3.0 m
3.5 m
4.0 m
4.5 m
5.0 m
5.5 m
6.0 m
Time (s)
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Average
Name __________________________________
Period _________________________________
4.
Lab: Linear Motion
MYP Physics
On the grid provided, make a graph of distance (x-axis) versus time (y-axis). Be sure to label your axes.
Draw a line of best fit for your data points. (Hint: lines of best fit do not have to be linear)
•
Things to discuss with your group:
•
Describe the motion of the string racer as it went down the string. What evidence from your data table and from
your graph do you have to support this?
•
Explain what the shape of your line of best fit tells you.
•
How could you determine the average velocity of the string racer during the 0 - 0.5m segment? 0.5 m – 1 m segment?
Any other 0.5 m segment on the rope?
o These are “rough” instantaneous speeds, how could we change the lab to make them more “instantaneous”?
•
How could you determine the overall average velocity for the full 6 meters?