US ARMY PRIME POWER SCHOOL

Lab Report

Kinematics

SGT Conner, SPC Jenkins, CPL Bocker

6/6/2011
Introduction

For the Module AC-5 Laboratory, Group 2 will attempt to

demonstrate the properties of Kinematics, using six experiments
covering position at a moment in time, velocity at a moment in
time, acceleration from an inclined position, the properties of
freefalling objects, determining a distance from a final position
over a known amount of time, and the horizontal displacement of
an object with a given initial velocity. For these laboratories
we used the Data Studio Software to graph the varying properties
of Kinematics. We will answer the questions posed at the end of
each of the experiments we conducted from the Science Workshop
Student Workbook for P01, P02, P03, and P05, and the questions
given to us in the Kinematics Lab Student Handout for Part II,
and Part III.

Theory

Using the data gathered from a physics experiment, we can obtain

useful information about future properties of an object using
Kinematics formulas. The properties of Kinematics are
Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration. The variance of each of
these properties will determine the state of another property.

Displacement is the vector between the initial and final position

of an object. The magnitude of displacement is the shortest
distance between the initial and final position. This magnitude
is measured in units of distance, which for our purposes will be
inches(in) or meters(m)

∆x=x-x0

Velocity is the relationship of the time it takes an object to

travel a distance. Time is measured as the magnitude between the
start of movement and the final movement or ∆t=t-t0. The units of
time are seconds (s), minutes (min) or hours (hr)

v= x-x0/ t-t0 or v=∆x/∆t m/s

Acceleration is the change in velocity over the elapsed period in
time. Since velocity is identified as unit of measurement divided
by measurement of time, acceleration is measured as the
measurement of distance divided by the measurement of time
squared.

a=v-v0/t-t0 or a=∆v/∆t m/s2

These can all be represented graphically as in the following

figure:

Figure 1.
The equipment we used, as well as a brief visual of the
experimental concept are as follows, for each experiment. These
are directly from the Science Workshop Student Workbook.

Activity P01: Position and Time – Understanding Motion 1

(Motion Sensor)

Concept DataStudio ScienceWorkshop ScienceWorksho

(Mac) p (Win)

Linear P01 Position P01 Understanding P01_MOT1.SWS

motion and Time.ds Motion 1
 Equipment Needed Qty Equipment Needed Qty

Motion Sensor (CI-6742) 1 Base and Support Rod (ME- 1

9355)

Base and
support rod

Motion
Sensor
To
interface

Table

Understanding Motion 1: Position and Time

Questions

1. In the Graph, what is the slope of the line of best fit for the
middle section of your plot?

2. What is the description of your motion? (Example: “Constant speed

for 2 seconds followed by no motion for 3 seconds, etc.”)

3. What would be the physical meaning of a steeper slope on the

graph?

4. What would be different about the motion if the slope were

negative?
 P02: Velocity and Time – Understanding Motion 2
(Motion Sensor)

Concept DataStudio ScienceWorkshop ScienceWorkshop

(Mac) (Win)

Linear P02 Velocity P02 P02_MOT2.SWS

motion and Time.ds Understanding
Motion 2

Equipment Needed Qt Equipment Needed Qty

y

Motion Sensor (CI-6742) 1 Base and Support Rod (ME- 1

9355)

Base and
support rod

Motion
To Sensor
interface

Table

Understanding Motion 2: Velocity and Time

 Question

1. For your best attempt, how well did your plot of motion fit the
plot that was already in the Graph?

Activity P03: Acceleration on an Incline

(Acceleration Sensor)

Concept DataStudio ScienceWorkshop ScienceWorkshop

(Mac) (Win)

Linear P03 (See end of (See end of

motion Acceleration activity) activity)
.ds

Equipment Needed Q Equipment Needed Qt

t y
y

Acceleration Sensor 1 Dynamics Cart (inc. w/ 1

(CI-6558) Track)

Angle Indicator (inc. 1 Meter stick 1

w/ Track)

Base and Support Rod 1 1.2 m Track System (ME- 1

(ME-9355) 9429A)
 Questions

1. What is the percent difference between your measured value for

“g” and the accepted value for “g”? Remember,
measured  accepted
percent difference   100%
accepted

2. If the mass of the cart is doubled, how are the results affected?
Try it.

Activity P05: Acceleration of a Freely Falling Picket Fence

(Photogate)

Concept DataStudio ScienceWorkshop ScienceWorkshop

(Mac) (Win)

Linear P05 Free P06 Free Fall P06_FALL.SWS

motion Fall.ds Picket Fence

Equipment Needed Q Equipment Needed Qt

t y
y

1 Universal Table Clamp 1

(ME-9376)

Photogate/Pulley System
(ME-6838)

Picket Fence (ME-9377A) 1

Prediction: Sketch a prediction below of a velocity vs. time
graph for a freely falling object.

Data Table

Item Value

slope of velocity
 versus time

acceleration
(mean)

Questions

1. How does the slope of your velocity versus time graph compare to
the accepted value of the acceleration of a free falling object
(g = 9.8 m/s2)?

accepted value ­ experimental value
x100%
Reminder: percent difference = accepted value

2. How does the mean of the acceleration from the table compare to
the accepted value of the acceleration of a free falling object
(g = 9.8 m/s2)?

3. What factors do you think may cause the experimental value to be

different from the accepted value?

Part II

Determine the time it takes a dune buggy to move a specified

distance. Construct a graph of the data (position vs. time), with
time as the independent variable. Calculate the slope. Is the
slope positive or negative? Why? How can the sign of the slope be
altered? Describe the motion of the tractor. Does the positive or
negative slope indicate the tractor’s speed is increasing or
decreasing? Using the graph, would a steeper slope indicate
faster or slower motion? Repeat using a motion sensor, and record
the graph with the slopes included. Develop an equation that best
fits the motion of the tractor.
 Part III

Using the knowledge we have gained, we will calculate the

horizontal displacement of an object, given an initial velocity.
We will also verify our calculations by selecting an impact point
for the object and by testing the calculations we made from the
given velocity.

Equipment needed: Computer, Data Studio Software, Photogate, Ball

Bearing, launch track, yardsticks, ruler, target.

Questions

1. Did the ball bearing land where you expected? Why or why not?
Explain where the differences between the actual and calculated
impact point may occur in your system.

Results

P01 Position and Time

The graph from Data Source, below, shows the results of trying to
match the velocity of an object to a benchmark. We attempted this
four times, with the closest match being the last attempt. The
graph shows us an object’s change in position over a period of
time, using the equation for velocity, v=∆x/∆t.

The answer posed in question 1. was “In the Graph, what is the slope
of the line of best fit for the middle section of your plot?” The
formula for finding a slope is m=(y-b)/x. Thus, using the graph
 we can say that the slope is .194 for our closest match.

Question 2. asks “What is the description of your motion?” (Example:

“Constant speed for 2 seconds followed by no motion for 3
seconds, etc.”) We can use the graph to gather that there was
constant speed for more than 4 seconds, and that since the motion
continued past the benchmarked time, the distance continued to
increase between the sensor and the object, for an unknown amount
of time (the screenshot of the graph cut off the continued
motion).

In question 3. We are asked “What would be the physical meaning of a

steeper slope on the graph?” We know that a steeper slope would
indicate a greater change in distance over a smaller period of
time. This would indicate a greater velocity.

We answer question 4., “What would be different about the motion if

the slope were negative?” by pointing out that when the direction
of the slope changes, it indicates that there is a change in
direction, since time is always represented as a positive
magnitude. Using the graph from the benchmark we can see that a
negative slope indicates the object moves closer to the sensor.
 P02 Acceleration

The results from the second experiment demonstrate our attempt to

match acceleration, the change in velocity over a change in time,
which is the equation a=∆v/∆t. Our closest match was the second
run, shown as the red line on the graph (not the red benchmark
line).

For our best attempt,we can answer question 1. “How well did your
plot of motion fit the plot that was already in the Graph?” with
“Our plot was a close match in acceleration, with the closes
match being the change in velocity, and the match in time being
off further. The graph shows the velocity changed at slightly
different times than the bench mark.

P03 Acceleration on an Incline

Our results from experiment three indicate that the angle of

incline that an object moves directly affects the velocity it
 moves on that incline, and inversely affects the time it takes to
move that distance. It also becomes apparent that gravity, or
9.8m/s2 , remains consistent along the change in hight,
independent of how far an object moves along the x axis. By
lowering a 117.6cm track 4cm each attempt, with the height moving
from 22.5cm to 4cm, and the angles decreasing from 11° to 1°,
respectively, we can decrease the velocity of the object while
increasing the time it takes for the object to move, showing that
gravity in the downward is in fact a constant. The equation for
gravity can be shown as gsinΘ=∆a/∆t, with Θ=arcsin(hight/length).
We can show that g=∆a/∆tsinΘ. For the accepted changes we can
show with the following table how gravity remains constant. Data
was only gathered for two angles, due to a malfunction in the
sensor. Even so, we can demonstrate that g is a constant.
H i g h t L e n g t h A n g l e a t g

r u n 1 2 2 . 5 1 1 7 . 6 1 1 1 . 3 0 . 7 9 . 7 8

r u n 2 1 8 . 5 1 1 7 . 6 9 1 . 6 1 1 0 . 2

We answered question 1. “What is the percent difference between your

measured value for “g” and the accepted value for “g”?” by using
the formula below to show that there was a 7% difference for the
first run and a 9% difference for the second.

measured  accepted
percent difference   100%
accepted

When we did as suggested in question 2., “If the mass of the cart is
doubled, how are the results affected?” we further demonstrated
that while the velocity may increase with added weight, and the
time decrease, gravity remains a constant.
 P05 Acceleration of a Freely Falling Object

In the fourth experiment we conducted, we further showed that

gravity is a constant force, accelerating objects downwards. We
showed in the third experiment that gravity is a constant
acceleration of 9.8m/s2. When an object in freefall, or is moving
along the y axis, with no movement along the x axis, the only
acceleration is gravity. There is zero acceleration in the x
direction. Therefore, the slope of the graph showing a change in
velocity over a period of time (∆v/∆t) should always equal
9.8m/s2, because the distance directly proportional to time
squared (d œ t2).

We showed with the graphs that the answer to question 1. “How does
the slope of your velocity versus time graph compare to the
accepted value of the acceleration of a free falling object (g =
9.8 m/s2)?” and question 2. “How does the mean of the
acceleration from the table compare to the accepted value of the
acceleration of a free falling object (g = 9.8 m/s2)?” was that
velocity increased directly to 9.8t (v=9.8t, so long as it did
not move on the x axis. The variations were as small as +/- .01,
or 9%. We determined that using the below formula.
 accepted value - exp erimental value
x100%
Reminder: percent difference = accepted value

The answer we arrived at for question 3. “What factors do you think

may cause the experimental value to be different from the
accepted value?” is that due to outside forces, such as
aerodynamics of the object, as well as the slightest variations
in wind speed along the x axis could have influenced the falling
gate.

Prediction: Sketch a prediction below of a velocity vs. time

graph for a freely falling object.

Data Table
Part II

In part two of the experiment we determined the time it took a

dune buggy to move a specified distance. We constructed a graph
of the data (position vs. time), with time as an independent
variable. We calculated the slope as .312m/s. The slope was
positive because we moved the object from the 0” end of a yard
stick toward the 36” end, thus giving us an increasing direction
away from the observed starting point. Had we moved the object
toward the observed start point of 0” from the 36” point, we
would have had a negative angle. The tractor’s speed remained
consistent throughout the time it moved, thus, the slope of the
graph would be a straight line. The steepness of the graph would
indicate a higher velocity, regarles of wether it was positive or
negative. We repeated the experiment, this time using the sensor
and Data Studio software. To demonstrate how variance in speed
influances the angle, we used a different cart, and mover it
towards the sensor. The equation that best fits this second
movement is .05m/s. This indicates a lower velocity.
Part III

The final part of the Kinematics lab had us move an object down a
track in order to calculate the horizontal displacement of an
object. Our object was a 1” diameter ball bearing, with a
starting point on a launch track of 9.25 inches above a table
that was 29.8 inches off the ground. The distance covered from
the start of movement to the end of the track was 17.4 inches.
Taking the data we gathered from the first part, we know that
gravity acts on an object at 32.2 ft/s2. Since we determined the
average velocity of the object was 42.5 in/s, we could then
determine how far the object would move along the x axis, once
the bearing entered free fall, at the end of the table. We
learned from the lecture on kinematics that the formula for
determining time was t=2s/a. We can begin to plug in our data
and solve for t. Since the table was 29.8” off the ground, we can
determine that the ball will be in free fall for exactly .392
seconds. We also know from our data, from the computer, that the
ball was moving in the x direction at 42.55in/s. The formula for
finding the displacement of an object is x=.5(v+v0)t. When we
plug in our data into the formula we get x=.5(42.55+42.55)(.392),
which gives us x=16.67 inches. We then placed a target on the
ground to predict where the bearing would impact, .392 seconds
after leaving the table. When the experiment was conducted again,
with the target in place, the impact point was 15.67 inches from
the table. We realized that the time the bearing was in free fall
was actually shorter than .329 seconds. If we enter our results
back into the equation, we can determine that the ball was only
in free fall for t=2(15.67)/(42.55+42.55)or .368 seconds. This
means that the table could only have been 26.2 inches above the
ground, or the velocity must have been slower than the 42.55 the
computer gave us, when the bearing left the table. This variance
could be caused by several things, such as friction or air
currents. Our accuracy was 15%. We looked again at where our
target was placed and determined that the target had actually
been off by an inch, from where it was supposed to be. It is our
conclusion that the error was human, and the data can speak for
itself.

Conclusion

During these six experiments, we verified the properties of

kinematics, to include the equations being accurate. We
determined that there is a strict relationship between distance
and time, which gives us velocity, and between velocity and time,
which gives us acceleration. If given different pieces of
information, we can therefore determine the future of an object,
provided it is not acted on by outside net forces. This lab
proved several tools that we can use as a basis in future
applications of physics.