Honors/IB Physics
NAME ____________________________ Period _________ Date ___________________
Motion with a Constant Velocity
The purpose of this lab is to help you understand motion of an object as it relates to speed,
distance, time, velocity and displacement. In addition to observing the fundamentals of simple
motion, we will learn the basic procedure for plotting graphs using MS Excel.
MATERIALS: Stopwatch, record sheet
GROUP SIZE: 3
PROCEDURE:
Part A. Constant Velocity
1. On the football field select one member to be the walker, one to be the timer and one
to be the recorder.
2. Starting on the goal line walk at a slow but constant rate toward the other goal line.
As the walker crosses each line the timer calls out the elapsed time which the recorder
writes in the appropriate location on the data chart.
3. Rotate assignments and now the walker should walk at a slightly quicker pace. Be
sure to record the information in the appropriate section of the data chart. Repeat
another time at an increased pace for your final data set.
Part B. Displacement - Time Study of Motion
1. Repeat the procedure of Part A, using the fast pace. When the walker reaches the goal
line stop, count to 10. Then walk back along the same path to the starting point but at
a slower pace. The walker must maintain a steady pace during the forward portion
and also a steady pace during the return trip even though this is done at a slower pace.
Analysis
1. Using Graphical Analysis prepare a graph comparing distance vs. time for each
walking pace. Distance will be plotted on the y-axis; time will be plotted on the yaxis. There should be three separate lines, one for each walking pace.
2. Using Graphical Analysis prepare a graph comparing displacement vs. time. Time
goes on the x-axis and displacement goes on the y-axis. The graph should have three
very different or distinct parts.
Data:
Data chart is on the reverse side of the lab.
Data Analysis and graphs will be done as a class.
Honors/IB Physics
Part A
Distance (yards)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
Time (s)
slow pace
Time (s)
normal pace
Time (s)
fast pace
Honors/IB Physics
Part B
Displacement (yards)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
Restart
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Time (s)
Honors/IB Physics
CONCLUSIONS/QUESTIONS
PART A
1. What is the value of the slope of the line for each of the walking paces in Part A?
Slow: ____________________
Normal:__________________
Fast:_____________________
2. What are the units of this slope? _____________
3. What does the slope indicate?
________________________________________________________________
4. How are the slopes of the lines related to the walking pace in each trial?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
PART B
7. What is the slope of the forward trip in Part B? _____________________
8. What is the slope of the graph for the STOP interval? ________________
9. What is the value of the slope for the return trip? ____________________
10.What is the algebraic sign of the slope in the return trip? _____________
11.What is the physical meaning of this sign? _________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
12.Distinguish between displacement and distance. _____________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
13. What was the total amount of time for the trip? ____________________
14. What was the total distance for the trip? ___________________________
15. What was the average speed for the trip? __________________________
16. What was the total displacement for the trip? _______________________
Honors/IB Physics
Additional Questions:
17. Evaluate the precision of your data for each of the three different paces for Part A.
18. What would your distance vs. time graph for Part A look like if you started out walking
very slowly and gradually increased your speed as you traveled across the field? Sketch a
rough graph below.
19. Sketch a velocity vs. time graph for the three paces from Part A.