Lab 2: Motion with
Uniform Acceleration
University of Michigan
Physics Department
Mechanics and Sound Intro Labs
Now that you have a better understanding of some of the statistical
techniques that you will utilize in the lab, it is time to begin a more
concentrated study on physics itself. Motion is usually not something
that you think about in your everyday life. However, from the
perspective of physics, motion is something to be studied, and thanks
to the work of Newton and others, we now can explain the motion of a
body in a mathematical manner. There are many types of motion, and
in this lab, you will examine motion under constant acceleration in one
dimension.
 Four equations that can
describe the motion of an
object with uniform
acceleration. There is one
quantity that is ignored in each
equation. (See your manual)
Today’s lab consists of three experimental exercises: studying the
motion of a glider on a tilted track, studying the motion of a glider
attached to hanging mass over a pulley, and an exercise in statistical
analysis. You will find that you are asked to analyze and understand
statistics in many of the labs from this point onward, so if you have
any questions, consult chapter one of your lab manual, or ask your
GSI.
Basic schematics for the lab
setups.
The apparatus that you will use in this lab is an air track with a sonic
ranger attached to one end. The air track is designed to simulate a
one-dimensional, frictionless environment. To study motion on an air
track, you must make use of special air track carts. These carts have
a blue “sail” on them that allows the sonic ranger to track their
position.
The basic air track set-up
For the first experiment, you will release the air cart on a tilted track.
You have been provided with spacer blocks that you will place under
the air track to raise the end of the track. The second experiment
requires you to attach a hanging mass to the cart over a pulley.
String and masses are provided for this purpose.
^ a glider with string attached and hanging
over the pulley
The data collection software works in exactly the same way as before,
so click collect on LoggerPro® when you are ready to collect data, wait
for the program to initialize, and release the cart. You can then begin
your analysis. At the end of this lab, you should have a better
understanding of motion, velocity, and acceleration, and you should
be able to model motion under constant acceleration. You will then
be ready to tackle the more interesting case of motion under nonuniform acceleration.