Motion Lab
The motion lab was a lab where a buggy's distance was measured at certain times
Lab Group - Ben Pelson, Alex Ballinger, and Anthony Smith
Research Question -- How does time affect the position of our buggy?
Independent Variable -- Time
Dependent Variable -- Position
Controlled Variables -- Buggy (including speed of buggy, friction of buggy's tires, etc), and the surface the buggy traveled on
Research Method -- To measure time my group used a stopwatch on a phone, to measure distance we lined the side of the
buggy's path with meter sticks, and to record data and create our graph we used Desmos.
Procedure -- The procedure that we used was to release the buggy on the track with meter sticks lining the sides, and to
record position of the buggy when it had been traveling for a certain time period. After one measurement, we
would reset the buggy and measure the next time interval.
Data |
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Position-Time Graph, y = 40.8593 x
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Raw Data -- (1s, 21cm), (3s, 140cm),
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Conclusion |
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Based on the evidence collected, it is reasonable to state the the buggy moves at a constant speed of 40.8593 meters per second. The points collected is further corroborated by the line of best fit matching so closely. There was, however, high uncertainty in this lab. This is because the method of measurement was highly inaccurate and flawed. It consisted of using a handheld timer to keep track of time, and then picking up the cart and finding what line on the meter stick the front of the car corroborated with. Because the lab measurements were eyeballed and not carefully done, I would give the experiment and uncertainty of five centimeters in the positive and negative direction. Another source of uncertainty was the inability of the buggy to go in a straight line. It kept veering off to the left, which reduced the buggy's forward distance covered exponentially as time went on. This lab could be improved by using a video camera to record the distance at a specific time, and by using a buggy the was able to move in a straight line forward.
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