Rentech Air Table Experiments

Air Table Experimental Set

Student's Guide

Laboratory Manual and Workbook

(2014)
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Rentech Air Table Experiments

List of Equipment

1. The Air Table

1.1. The Flat Plane

1.2. Spark Timer and Footswitch

1.3. Compressor (Air Pump) and Footswitch

1.3. Pucks and Puck Shooter ( Puck Launcher)

1.4. Disk, String (Cord) and Pulley Set

1.5. Recording Paper and Carbon Paper

1.6. Block for Inclination of the Air Table

1.7. A set of springs, Spring Holder and Spring Ring

1.8. Angle Finder

2. Connection Cables
2.1. Spark Timer Power Cable

2.2. Compressor Power Cable

2.3. Puck Cables

2.4. Footswitch Cables

3. Instructional Manuals (Student and Teacher Guides)

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

Contents

1. Purpose ............................................................................. 4

2. Introduction to the Air Table ............................................................. 4

3. Operation of the Air Table .............................................................. 6

4. Experimental Set-up ................................................................... 7

5. Air Table Experiments ................................................................ 8

5.1. Experiment-1: Straight Line Motion with Constant Velocity ...................... 8

5.1.1. Experimental Procedures ................................................. 9

5.1.2. Laboratory Report ..................................................... 11

5.2. Experiment-2: Straight Line Motion with a Constant Acceleration ................... 13

5.2.1. Experimental Procedures ................................................ 15

5.2.2. Laboratory Report ..................................................... 16

5.3. Experiment-3: Projectile Motion ............................................ 17

5.3.1. Experimental Procedures ................................................ 20

5.3.2 Laboratory Report .................................................... 22

5.4. Experiment-4: Conservation of Linear Momentum .............................. 24

5.4.1. Experimental Procedures ................................................. 28

5.4.2. Laboratory Report ..................................................... 29

5.5. Experiment-5: Atwood’s Machine .......................................... 30

5.5.1. Experimental Procedures ................................................ 33

5.5.2. Laboratory Report .................................................... 35

5.6. Experiment-6: Rotational Motion .......................................... 36

5.6.1. Experimental Procedures ................................................. 42

5.6.2. Laboratory Report ........................................................ 44

5.7. Experiment-7: Hooke’s Law ............................................. 47

5.7.1. Experimental Procedures ................................................. 49

5.7.2. Laboratory Report ...................................................... 52

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

1. Purpose

The main purpose of this experiment is to study

and analyze:

1. Straight line motion with constant velocity,

2. Straight-line motion with constant acceleration and
motion an inclined plane,
3. Horizontal projectile (two-dimensional) motion of
an object moving on an inclined air table,
4. Collisions and conservation of linear momentum
in different types of collisions,
5. Newton’s second law of motion by using an
elementary Atwood’s machine.
6. The rotational motion of a rigid body associated
with the angular velocity, angular acceleration
and moment of inertia.
7. Conservation of mechanical energy.
8. Hooke's law and the spring constant (stiffness
constant) for different springs.

2. Introduction to the Air Table

The air table provides a surface where the pucks can
move almost without friction and permits a time trace of
the motion by the spark recording technique with
absence of friction. The air table consists of four main
components including the flat (glass) plate, spark timer,
pucks and compressor. Figure-1: Air Table Product.

 Glass Plate: It has a very smooth surface on which the

pucks can move freely. An electrically conducting As the air through the hole of the puck tries to flow between
carbon paper is put between the recording paper and smooth surface of the puck and glass plate, it pushes the puck
glass plate so that each spark leaves a visible black dot up and the puck is lifted and supported by a thin layer of the
on the recording paper (data sheet) for the position-time air. Since the puck is heavy enough, it can not be lifted off the
measurements. glass plate very much but a thin layer of the air provides an
almost frictionless surface like an air cushion on which the
 Spark Timer: It produces sparks on the recording paper puck float. Thus the pucks slide on the surface almost without
at regular intervals with the sparking frequencies of 10, any friction. This is the most important feature of the air table
20, 30, 40, 50 and 100Hz. In the experiments we select product (Figure-1).
the frequency 10 or 20Hz. For example, with the
sparking frequency of 10Hz, the spark-timer will produce There is also an electrode (high voltage pin) at the bottom of
a dot on the data sheet every 0.1second. the puck. When the spark timer is operated by pressing its
switch, then high voltage pin produces sparks which causes
 Pucks: They are rigid, heavy, metal disks with very dark spots (dots) on the white paper (recording paper) with
smooth surfaces. A hole is drilled at the center of the equal time intervals. If we place a piece of the paper under the
each puck through which the pressured air flows. Two puck, we can record its trajectory by use of a spark-timer,
pucks on the glass plate are connected to the rubber which leaves a trail of dots on the paper. The study of these
hoses which supply the air to float the puck with almost dots enables us to measure the position as a function of time
complete absence of the friction. for the moving pucks.

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

 Compressor (Air Pump): The compressor provides an

air-flow through the hoses to the pucks on the plate of
Flat Plane of the air table. When the compressor is switched on, an
the Air Table air-flow through the hoses is produced from the
compressor towards the pucks. The compressed air
flowing through the bottom surface of the pucks reduces
the friction between the pucks and the air table, and so
the pucks move almost freely on the table.
Spark Timer

To study air table experiments, first a sheet of carbon

paper and then a sheet of white paper (as the
recording paper) are placed on the air table. There
Compressor
are three adjustable legs of the air table that can be
used to level the table. So, prior to all experiments, the
adjustable legs permit accurate leveling for the table
surface.

Foot Switches The puck moving on the surface of the air table will be
considered as the particle. The spark-timer is
connected to the pucks through a chain inside the air
hoses. When the spark-timer is in operation, it
produces a periodic high voltage that causes sparks on
Shooter the recording paper between the center of the puck
and the carbon paper. The spark-timer works by means
of a foot switch. By pressing the foot switch, sparks
are produced continuously between the pucks and the
Pucks carbon paper at a frequency adjusted on the spark-
timer. Black dots will then appear on the recording
paper, indicating the position of the each puck at the

Block for time of the spark.

Inclination
Each spark produces a dot on the recording paper, and
the motion of the pucks in any experiment can be
examined using the path of these dots on the recording
Springs
paper. A selector on the spark timer enables you to
choose different sparking frequencies before starting
an experiment. For example, if the spark-timer
Spring Holder frequency is set to f=20Hz, each puck on the table
and Rings marks 20 dots on the recording paper in one second
and the time interval between successive two dots is

Figure-2: Air Table Components. given by T=1/20=0.05 second. From these marks,
displacement measurements can be made and the
resulting velocity and acceleration can be calculated.

The air table components to be used in the experiment

are given in the Figure-(2).

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

3. Operation of the Air Table 9. Now, turn the data sheet over and observe the
black dots. Black dots will appear on the side of
For the first experiment with an air table, it is important that the recording paper indicating the position of the
you understand how it works. You can operate the air table by each puck at the time of the spark. Note that this
using the steps given below. works only when the both pucks are within the area
of the carbon paper on the glass plate.
1. Place first the sheet of carbon paper on the glass
plate of the air table. Taping the corners of the carbon
10. Both pucks have to be over the carbon paper to get
paper to the glass is not necessary. The carbon paper
sparking and produce dots on the data sheet. If
should be flat and clean.
only one puck will be used in any kind motion,
place another puck at one corner of the table so
2. Place a data sheet of ordinary paper (white recording
that its center is within the area of the carbon paper
paper) on the top of the carbon paper. Do not tape
and it remains stationary. The carbon paper
this paper.
electrically conductive.

3. Place two pucks on the recording paper near the

11. When using two pucks in a given experiment, you
center of the table.
will need to identify where both pucks were
simultaneously in terms of time. For each puck,
4. There are two foot switches of the air table, one
number the dots on your experiment paper (data
powers the compressor (air pump) and one triggers
sheet), marking the first dot zero. So, start
the sparking (S).
numbering where the motion of the each puck
started. The dots will indicate the positions where
5. Before the experiment, test each foot switch to see
the centers of the pucks were at the time of the
which one powers the pump and which one triggers
spark. For each puck, use the first dot numbered
the sparking.
zero as the reference point for zero position and
zero time.
6. Press the foot switch that starts the pump (P) and
observe that the two pucks float on the recording 12. To activate both foot switches for the pump (P) and
paper. The air hoses connected to the pucks should sparktimer (S) simultaneously, you can put them
be free and not twisted. one on top of the other. Keep both switches
depressed until the two pucks complete their
7. Now, adjust the legs of the air table so that the motion. This causes both footswitches to be
floating pucks will come to rest in the center of the activated at the same time.
table. Eliminate the sideway motions of the pucks by
adjusting the legs at the front of the table and use the 13. Some experiments will be carried out on an inclined
single leg at the back to eliminate any back or front air table. To make an inclined table, a block is
motions. This is the easiest way to level the table by placed under the adjustable single leg at the back of
using the pucks. The pucks do not move in any the table (the table should be leveled off initially).
particular direction. This step is referred to as “leveling You can use an angle finder to measure the
off ” the air table. inclination angle. Also, the height of the block and
the distance between the back leg and front legs
8. Press the foot switch for the pump (P) and keep it can be used to determine the angle of inclination.
pressed. Slowly pull the recording paper toward you
from the underneath the both pucks. As you see, the 14. Do not touch the conducting portions, high voltage
data sheet moves easily since the friction between pins or the hoses of the pucks and the recording or
the data sheet and the pucks is almost nonexistent. the carbon paper while spark timer is working.
Now, press the footswitch (S) of the spark-timer for a
short duration and then release it. During this time,
pull the recording paper another short distance from
underneath the pucks. Pull the ordinary paper toward
you completely and release the footswitch (P).

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

4. Experimental Set-up

Figure-3: Schematic representation of the experimental set-up of the air table.

Schematic representation of the experimental set-up of the air These sparks on the data sheet mark the position of the
table is given in the Figure-(3). The air supply (compressor) center of the each puck. While the spark timer is in operation,
pushes the air through the hoses to the pucks. In this way, the each spark from the pucks leaves a black dot on the data
effects of friction on the table are almost eliminated. The two sheet. In this way, the trajectory of the moving puck is drawn
pucks which are free to move over air cushions are electrically on the data sheet as a successive series of the black dots at
connected to the spark-timer. The spark-timer produces dots equal time intervals. An experimental study of these dots
(sparks) at regular time intervals that can be set at certain enables us to measure the position as a function of time for
values by choosing different sparking frequencies initially. the moving pucks.

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

5. Air Table Experiments

Name:

Department:

Student No:

Date:

5.1. Experiment-1
Straight Line Motion with Constant Velocity

In this section of the experiment, you will study and Figure-4: Position as a function of time for an object moving
determine the velocity of an object moving in a straight in straight line with constant velocity.
line with constant velocity. In this type of motion, the
moving object travels equal distances in equal time So, the average velocity is defined in terms of
intervals along a straight line. The puck moving freely on displacement, rather than total distance traveled. The
the surface of the horizontal (leveled off) air table will be velocity of a particle can also be found from the graph
considered as the particle. The puck will move with
of its position as a function of the time. On a graph of
constant velocity across the air table after it is set in the
the position (x) versus time (t), the average velocity
motion with a small push.
for a time interval (t) is the slope of the straight line
Theory connecting the points on the curve that represent the
two ends of the time interval. So, in this experiment, if
When a particle moves along a straight line, we can
we plot a graph x versus t (x-t graph), we will have a
describe its position with respect to an origin (0), by
straight line with a slope and the slope of that line will
means of a coordinate such as x. If there is no net
give the experimental value of the average velocity for
force acting on a moving object, it moves on a straight
the motion.
line with a constant velocity. The displacement of the
particle is the change in its position. So, the particle’s The displacement x(t) of a particle moving in a straight
average velocity (vav) during a time interval (t=t2-t1) line with constant velocity is given as a function of time

is equal to its displacement (x=x2- x1) divided by t: in the form:

x2  x1 x x(t )  x0  vt (2)
vav   (Experimental) (1)
t2  t1 t
If at t=0, the particle was at the origin, then x0=0. So,
when the object is at the origin with the initial position

From the Equation-(1), the average velocity is the x0=0, the equation of the motion becomes at any time:
displacement (x) divided by the time interval (t)
during which the displacement occurs. The direction of x (t )  vt (3)

the average velocity is always the same as the

direction of the displacement. Average velocity does
not depend on the actual distance that a particle From the above relation, it is obvious that the particle

moves (that is, the total distance traveled), but instead travels equal distance in the equal time intervals along

depends on its original and final position a straight line (see Figure-4).

(displacement).

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

5.1.1. Experimental Procedures

Caution!
Do not touch the conducting portions, high voltage pins or
the hoses of the pucks and the recording or the carbon paper
while spark timer is working.

1. Construct the experimental set-up as shown in

the Figure-(3) without switching on the main
power of the spark-timer.

Figure-5: The dots produced by the puck on the data

It is noticed that the pucks should be connected to the sheet.
pump through the hoses. The air hoses should be free
and not twisted.

6. Then, test the puck motion by activating both the

puck switch and spark-timer switch in the same
2. Place first the conductive carbon paper and then
time and observe the black dots on the recording
white recording paper as the data sheet on the
paper. Make sure that the puck is moving freely
glass plate of the air table.
on the air table.

2.1. The carbon paper and recording paper should be

7. Activate both compressor (P) and spark timer (S)
flat on the air table.
2.2. Put two pucks on the recording paper. Keep one switches and then, push the puck diagonally
of the pucks stationary on a folded piece of data across the surface of the air table.
sheet at one corner of the air table. In this part of
the experiment, only one puck will be used. 7.1. At the moment you release the puck, it will move
along the whole diagonal distance across the air
table in a straight line with constant velocity.
3. Level the air table horizontally by turning on the
7.2. Then, stop the both switches at the instant the
compressor (air supply) and placing one of the
puck reaches its maximum positive displacement,
pucks at the table’s center. Adjust the legs of the
where it will turn back.
air table so that the puck will not move.

8. Turn off the spark-timer and then remove the

4. Now, turn on the spark-timer and set the spark
puck from the air table for safety.
timer frequency to:

9. Remove the white recording paper (data sheet)

 f=20Hz.
from the air table.

5. Test both two switches for the compressor and

9.1. The black dots on the recording paper will look like
spark-timer operations. The single puck should those given in the Figure-(5).
move easily, almost without friction when the 9.2. The dots made by the spark timer on the recording
compressor works only by pressing the pump paper mark the displacement of the puck with
(puck) foot-switch. When the spark-timer foot equally spaced intervals of time.

switch is pressed, black dots on white paper

should be observed (on the side of the recording
paper facing the carbon paper).

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

10. Number and encircle the dots starting from the 12.3. Record this on the column marked vav (average
first dot as 0,1,2,….,10. Take x0=0 and t0=0 at speed) in units of m/sec.

the first dot (dot-0).

Note that the average velocity depends only on the

10.1. Using a ruler, measure the distances of the 10 displacement that occurs during the time interval

dots starting from first dot (dot-0). t=t2-t1. So, divide each distance by the period T=1/f
10.2. The displacement x relative to the initial position of the spark-timer to obtain the average velocity (vav)
(dot-0) can be measured directly by using a ruler. of the puck between each pair of dots.
10.3. Find also the time (t) corresponding to each dot
(that is, consider the first dot at time zero and
each successive dot as 0.05 seconds after the
13. Compare the average velocity for each dot interval
previous dot since f=20Hz).
with the value which is obtained from the slope of
10.4. Record the data values of the position (x) and
graph.
time (t) in the Table-(1).

13.1. Fill your data in the Table-(3).

13.2. Is the velocity determined by the slope consistent
The time between two dots is 1/20 seconds since the
with the average velocity calculated for each dot
spark timer frequency was set to f=20Hz. So, take the
interval?. If your comparison shows a percent
first dot at time zero and each successive dot as
difference more than 10%, explain at least one of
“0.05” seconds after the previous dot.
the possible error sources.

11. Using the data points in Table-(1), plot the

position (y-axis) vs time (x-axis). The x-t graph Conclusions and Questions

must show a linear function.

 Discuss the difference in the velocity values calculated for
each dot interval and the values found from the graph. Is
11.1. Label the axes and write down the corresponding the difference approximately the same?.
unit on each axis.  If an object moves at a uniform (that is, constant) velocity
11.2. Draw the best line that fits a linear graph and find during a particular time interval, is its instantaneous
the slope of the best-line. velocity at any instant the same as its average velocity?.
11.3. Then, determine the velocity (v) of the puck by Explain your answer.
using the slope of the line. The slope of the line is  Describe how you use a position-time graph to determine
the average velocity of the puck. average velocity.
 What does a zero slope of a position-time graph indicate
about the object’s average velocity?.
The slope of the best-fit line on a position-time graph
 What is the uncertainty in your measurement of
is the average velocity of the object. Average velocity
displacements between dots?. Explain briefly the possible
is the rate of change in position for a time interval.
sources of the error in the experiment?.

12. Using the data values in Table-(1), construct the

Table-(2).

12.1. Measure the position (that is, the distance

between 2 successive dots) and the time
corresponding to each dot interval.

12.2. Calculate the average velocity (vav) from the

table for each dot interval.

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5.1.2. LABORATORY REPORT

Straight Line Motion with Constant Velocity

Table-1: Data values for the position and time of the motion with constant velocity.

By Slope
Dot Number Position x  x (m) Time t (sec .)
v( m / s )
0 0 0

5 ……

10

Table-2: Experimental data values for the average velocity of the motion with constant velocity.

Interval
Number xn (m) xn1 (m) xn1  xn (m) t n (sec .) t n1 ( s) t n 1  t n ( s) vav (m / s)
(n)

0-1 0 0 0 0 0

1-2

2-3

3-4

4-5

5-6

6-7

7-8

8-9

9-10

(Note that x n is the position of the n th data point corresponding to the related dot).

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

Graph-1: The position as a function of time for the puck moving in a straight line with constant velocity.

Table-3: Comparison of the velocity found by the slope with the average velocity of the each time interval.

By Slope
Interval Number (n) vav (m / s) Difference , v (m / s) Difference (%)
v (m / s)

0-1 ..... ..... .....

1-2 ..... ..... .....

2-3 ..... ..... .....

3-4 ..... ..... .....

4-5 ..... ..... .....

.....
5-6 ..... ..... .....

6-7 ..... ..... .....

7-8 ..... ..... .....

8-9 ..... ..... .....

9-10 ..... ..... .....

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

5.2. Experiment-2
Straight Line Motion with a Constant
Acceleration

In this part of the experiment, you will examine straight-

line motion of an object (puck) with constant acceleration
on an inclined frictionless air table. By plotting the (a)

experimental data, you will find the acceleration of the

puck sliding down on an inclined air table.

Theory

When a particle slides straight down a frictionless

inclined plane, its acceleration is constant, and it will
move in a straight line down the plane. The magnitude
(b)
of the acceleration depends on the angle at which the
0
plane is inclined. If the inclination angle is 90 , the
object will slide down with an acceleration which is
equal to the Earth’s gravitational acceleration g with
2
the magnitude of 9.8 m/s .

If you put the puck at the top of the inclined air table
and let it slide down the plane, it will move downwards
on a straight line but with increasing velocity. The rate
of change of the velocity is the acceleration of the puck.
(c)

If at time t1 the puck is at the point x1 with a velocity of

Figure-6: The set-up for a puck moving down an inclined
v1, then at a later time t2, it will be at a point of x2 with a air table (a), the straight down motion on an inclined air
velocity v2. For the motion, the average acceleration of table (b) and components of g, the acceleration due to
gravity (c). Since the table is inclined at an angle , the
the puck in this time interval t= t2- t1 is defined as:
puck’s acceleration along the incline should be a=gsin.

v v2  v1
a av   (4)
t t 2  t1 If we consider the instantaneous acceleration (simply
the acceleration) of the motion in the x-direction, it
To investigate the one-dimensional motion of a puck on an air would be:
table, we choose a point (dot) near the beginning of the
motion as the origin of the coordinate system. We determine v dv
a  lim t 0  (5)
the location of the puck moving in one dimension by the t dt
position x of sparks on the recording paper at a constant
time interval between the marks on the data sheet. In words, the acceleration of an object at any instant is the
rate at which its velocity is changing at that instant.
Just as velocity describes the rate of change of
In this experiment, we will observe the motion of a puck
position with time, acceleration describes the rate of
moving in a straight line with a velocity changing
change of velocity with time. This means that the
puck’s velocity increases as it goes down the incline. uniformly. The air table is inclined at an angle of 
with the horizontal plane as shown in the Figure-(6).

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

The instantaneous acceleration in a straight line motion In this experiment, we will allow a puck to accelerate

equals the instantaneous rate of change of velocity down the incline while the sparktimer is in operation, but
stop the sparktimer as the puck hits the bottom part of
with time. Since velocity is a vector, acceleration is a
the inclined plane.
vector too. But for one-dimensional motion, we need
only use a plus or minus sign to indicate acceleration Once a spark (dot) has been selected on the recording
direction relative to a chosen coordinate axis. For the paper, we choose a point near the beginning of the
inclined air table, the positive x-axis is taken to be in track as the origin and label it as x=0 corresponding
the direction of the puck’s motion. time t=0. Since the motion of object (puck) starts from

Now, we examine the situation when the acceleration is

rest (x0=0, v0=0) at t=0, the object’s position at any time
constant and the motion is in a straight line. In this t (instantaneous position) will be:

case, the instantaneous and average accelerations are

1 2
equal. Suppose that at an initial time t1=0, the puck is x at (Experimental) (9)
at the position of x0 and has a velocity of v1=v0. At a 2
later time t2=t, it is in position x and has a velocity of

v2=v. If the acceleration of the puck is constant, the Note that the positive x-axis is taken to be in the direction

average acceleration and the instantaneous of the puck’s motion. Using the displacement (x) from the

acceleration are equal to each other and therefore we origin to each data point, for each dot; the coordinate x

find: should be measured from the origin to that point.

v  v0 A graph of Equation-(9), that is, a x-t graph for motion

a (6)
t 0 with constant acceleration, is always a parabola that
passes through the origin in the x-y plane. However, If
Then, the velocity of the puck will be: 2
a graph of x-t is plotted, we find a straight line which
has a slope of:
v  v0  at (7)

1
 " a"
2
Here, v0 is the velocity at time t=0 and v is the velocity at
any later time t.
and it will pass through the origin.
For the interval from t=0 to the later time t, the
As seen in the Figure-(6c), the acceleration (a) of an
equitation for an object’s motion with constant
object (puck) moving down an inclined plane is a
acceleration in one dimension can be written as:
component of the acceleration due to gravity (g). The
component of g pointing parallel to the plane causing the
1
x  x0  v0 t  at 2 (8) acceleration a is:
2
 a  g sin 
where:

 So, if  is known and acceleration (a) is

x0 : The displacement at time t=0 (initial position),
determined, the acceleration due to gravity (g) can
v0 : The velocity at time t=0 (initial speed) and, be calculated experimentally.

a: The object’s acceleration.  If  and g are assumed known, the expected value
for the acceleration (a) can be determined.

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

5.2.1. Experimental Procedures

1. Place a sheet of carbon paper and a sheet of

recording paper (data sheet) on the air table with
the recording paper on top.

2. First, level off the air table and then tilt it to an

inclined position by using the block to give an
inclination angle (the angle with the horizontal
plane) as:

   90

3. Keep one of the pucks at rest over the carbon

Figure-7: The dots produced by the puck on the data
paper at the lower right corner of the air table. In
sheet for an inclined air table.
this experiment, only one puck will be used.

4. Turn on the compressor (air supply). 6.5. Take the trajectory of the puck as the positive x-
axis (Figure-7).
4.1. Put the puck at the top of the inclined plane of the 6.6. Number and circle the dots (data points) starting
air table and press the compressor pedal (switch).
from the first dot as 0,1,2,…..,10. Take x=0 and
4.2. Check if the puck is falling freely down the plane.
t=0 at the first dot as your initial data point.

5. Now, turn on the spark timer and set the spark 6.7. Now, using a ruler, measure the distance (x) of
the remaining dots from the dot 0.
timer frequency to:
6.8. Also determine and record the time (t) for each of
 f=20Hz.
these dots.
6.9. Record the data values in the data Table-(4) with
Do not touch the conducting portions, high voltage respect to your initial point.
2
pins or the hoses of the pucks and the recording or 6.10. Calculate and record t values in the Table-(4).
the carbon paper while spark timer is working.
2
7. Plot x versus t . Then, draw the best line that fits
6. Position a puck at the raised end of the inclined your data points.
air table, close to the middle.
8. Using the slope of this line, determine the
6.1. Press both puck and spark timer switches experimental acceleration (a) of the puck. Show
simultaneously, release the puck and stop
these calculations on your graph paper clearly.
pressing when the puck reaches the bottom part
of the inclined plane. Release the puck with no
Note that:
initial velocity.
1 2
6.2. Turn off the spark-timer and then remove the  x at if x0  0 .
puck from the air table. 2
6.3. Remove the data recording paper and examine  Then, the slope of the x versus t2 graph will
the dots produced on it.
be equal to:
1
6.4. The type of motion that you have observed is the " a ".
2
straight line motion with constant acceleration
9. Compare your determination of the experimental
(acceleration does not change by the time).
acceleration (a) with the expected value, gsinθ
2
where g=9.80m/s .

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

5.2.2. LABORATORY REPORT

Straight Line Motion with a Constant
Acceleration

Table-4: Experimental data values for the straight line motion with a constant acceleration.

Inclination Angle Frequency

x (m) t (sec) t 2 (s 2 ) a (m / s 2 )
Dot Number
 (deg) f (Hz)
(Measured) (By Slope)

0 x0  0 t0  0 0

….. ….. 5 …..

10

Conclusions and Questions

 Determine the uncertainty in your measurement of

displacements between dots on the data sheet?.
 By the slope, what is the experimental value of the
2
acceleration (a) for the motion, in units of m/s ?. Is the
acceleration of the motion constant?.
 Write the expression for the expected acceleration of a
particle down a smooth plane, inclined at an angle θ with
respect to the horizontal.
 Would choosing a different point as the origin for the
analysis of the data change the value of the
acceleration?. Explain your answer.
 If the acceleration of an object is zero, does it mean that

Graph-2: Position as a function of the square of time for the the velocity is zero?. Explain briefly, by giving an example.
0
straight line motion with a constant acceleration.  If the angle of inclination θ=20 in the Figure-(6), what is
the acceleration (a) of the puck (m) if the puck is released
from rest at the top of the inclined plane?. Assume g=9.8
2
m/s .

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

5.3. Experiment-3 One of the two components of the velocity vector is

parallel to the horizontal x-axis and the other is
Projectile Motion
parallel to the vertical, or y-axis:

In this part of the experiment, the puck is projected


horizontally with an initial velocity. By the dots produced v  v x iˆ  v y ˆj (10)
on the data sheet, we will investigate the motion of the
puck along the horizontal and vertical axes
The motion of the object in the horizontal x-direction is
independently.
a straight line motion with constant velocity. In other
Theory words, the x-component of the velocity of the object
(vx) will be constant.

However, the acceleration only acts along the vertical

direction. The x-component of acceleration is zero and
y-component is constant. This means that only the
vertical component of the velocity (vy) will change with
respect to time and the horizontal component of the
velocity will be constant. Therefore, we can analyze
projectile (two-dimensional) motion as a combination
of horizontal motion with constant velocity and the
vertical motion with constant acceleration.

We can express the vector relationships for the

Figure-8: Projectile motion of an object projected
projectile’s acceleration by separate equations for the
horizontally. Trajectory of the object fired horizontally at time
horizontal and vertical components. The components of
t1=0, with the initial speed v0, from a point at (0; h). The

dashed line represents the path of the object. the acceleration vector a are:

ax  0 (11)
The other type of the motion in this experiment is the
horizontally projected motion. Projectile motion is the
ay  a (Constant) (12)
two-dimensional motion of an object under the
influence of Earth’s gravitational acceleration (g). A Since there is no acceleration in the horizontal x-
projectile is any object that is given an initial velocity direction, the horizontal component of the particle’s
and then follows a path determined entirely by the velocity remains constant from its initial value throughout
effects of gravitational acceleration. The path followed the motion.
by a projectile is called its trajectory. We consider only
In vector form, the acceleration can be expressed as
its motion after it has been projected, and before it
the form:
lands or is caught.


As seen in the Figure-(8), the position of such an
a  a y ˆj (13)
object at any given time t is given by a set of
coordinates x and y which vary with respect to time The position of the object at a given time is given by:
and represent the horizontal and vertical coordinates,

respectively.
r  xiˆ  yˆj (14)

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

For the two-dimensional (x, y) motion, we can separate Suppose that at time t=0, the particle (puck) is at the
acceleration, displacement and velocity in both x and y point (x0, y0) and at this time its velocity components

coordinate directions by the general equations: have the initial v0x and v0y. Since the velocity of
horizontal motion in the projectile motion is constant,
1
x  x0  v0 x t  a x t 2 (15) we find:
2
ax  0 (17)
1
y  y 0  v0 y t  a y t 2 (16)
2
v x  v0 x (Experimental) (18)

We can write the kinematic equations for constant

acceleration ( a ) in two-dimensional motion as:
x  x0  v x t (19)
x-Component (Horizontal) y-Component (Horizontal)
We can choose the axes of our coordinate system at
v x  v0 x  a x t v y  v0 y  a y t
the point of release of the puck from the shooter at t=0
1 1 and take the downward direction to be positive such
x  x 0 v 0 x t  axt 2 y  y 0  v0 y t  ayt 2
2 2 that:

Here, x0  y 0  0 (20)

vx : Horizontal component of velocity, This is the origin in the coordinate system associated

v0 x : with the initial position of the puck at t=0. Now, using

Initial velocity in the horizontal (x)-direction,
this relationship in the Equation-(19), we will find the
ax : Acceleration in the horizontal (x)-direction,
equation of motion along the x-axis as:
t: Time for the motion,

x: Horizontal displacement, x  vxt (Experimental) (21)

x0 : Initial position in the horizontal (x) direction,

vy : Vertical component of the velocity,

The horizontal displacement for the projectile motion of
v0 y : Initial velocity in the vertical (y) direction, a small ball projected horizontally is determined by
using Equation-(21). If the horizontal displacement (x)
ay : Acceleration in the vertical (y) direction,
of the motion and time of flight (t) are measured, then
y: Vertical displacement,
we can find the initial velocity of the object.
y0 : Initial position in the vertical (y) direction,
For the motion along the y-axis, the velocity (vy) and
vertical displacement (y) at the later time (t) become:
In order to model two-dimensional projectile motion, a
metal puck will be set in motion on an inclined air
v y  at (22)
table. When the air compressor is switched on, the air
is supplied to down the tube under the puck so that it
1 2
moves with a given initial velocity on the frictionless y at (Experimental) (23)
2
plane.

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

In the projectile motion, the horizontal motion and the

vertical motion are independent of each other, neither
motion affects the other. This feature allows you to
separate a problem involving two-dimensional motion
into two easier one-dimensional problems; one for the
horizontal motion (with zero acceleration) and one for
the vertical motion (with constant downward
acceleration).

We choose our time interval to begin (t=0) just as the

(a)
puck leaves the puck shooter at the position x0=0,
y0=0. In the horizontal x-direction, the acceleration ax=0
so the velocity of the puck is constant. In the vertical
direction, the distance between the y-projection of the
puck increases with time. This situation is identical to
the one we have studied earlier, in the case of motion
with acceleration (inclined air table). Finally, if you
analyze the projectile motion, you can make the
following important conclusions:

 The horizontal component (x-axis) of a projectile’s

velocity is constant. (So, the horizontal component of
(b) acceleration, in other words, is zero).
 The projectile motion will have a constant downward
Figure-9: Schematic diagram of the horizontally projected
(y-axis) acceleration due to gravity as seen in the
motion of the puck on an inclined air table (a). The data
Figure-(9b).
points produced by the puck on the data sheet (b). The x-
component of the velocity of the puck is constant. As for
motion along the y-axis, note that the distance between the

y-projections of the puck increases with time.

The vertical y-component of the velocity is obtained

experimentally and used to determine the acceleration
along the y-axis. The projectile motion has a constant
horizontal velocity and a constant vertical (downward)
acceleration due to gravity. The vertical distance (y)
caused by the change in the velocity is given by
Equation-(23).

The dots produced on the data sheet will look like the
figure as shown in the Figure-(9). Here, note that the
intervals between the dots of the x-projections in the
horizontal direction are equal.

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

5.3.1. Experimental Procedures

In this part of the experiment, you will perform

measurements on the motion of a horizontally projected
puck on the inclined air table and the motion in two
dimensions will be analyzed.

1. First, level off the air table and then bring it into
an inclined position with respect to the horizontal
by using the block to give an inclination angle:
   90 .

2. Turn on the spark timer and adjust the frequency

of the spark timer to:
 f=20Hz.

3. Keep one of the pucks stationary on a folded Figure-10: The dots as data points produced by the puck
piece of data sheet paper and carbon paper at the on the data sheet.

lower corner of the plane.

4. Attach the shooter (projectile launcher) to the left 7. On the same data sheet, place the puck

side of the inclined plane of the air table about opposite to the shooter without tension of shooter

10cm from the upper edge and adjust the (note that the puck must be outside the shooter).
0
shooting angle to 0 (zero degrees) to give
7.1. Then activate both compressor and spark timer
horizontal shooting.
switches in the same time and then release the
puck from the same initial height, without launching
5. First, activate only the compressor switch (P),
it on the inclined plane.
place the puck into the shooter and make a few 7.2. This trajectory will be a straight line and the dots
test shootings to adjust the best tension of the will give trajectory-A.
rubber belt of the shooter to give a convenient
trajectory. 8. Turn off the spark-timer and then remove the
pucks from the air table.
6. Now, activate the compressor switch (P) and
place the puck into the adjusted shooter, then 9. Now, remove the data sheet to examine the dots
release the puck from the shooter while of trajectories you have got. You must get the
simultaneously activating the spark timer (S). trajectories illustrated in Figure-(10). If the data
points are inconvenient to analyze, repeat the
experiment and get new data.
To avoid electrical shock, do not touch the
conducting portions of the pucks or the air table
10. Select a clear dot on the path at x=0 and t=0 as
while the spark timer is on.
the initial position of the motion.

10.1. Circle and number the data points starting from

6.1. Stop pressing both pedals when the puck comes
the first dot as 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,…,10.
to the bottom of the data sheet.
10.2. Consider the downward trajectory as positive y-
6.2. You will denote these dots of the data points by
the trajectory-B. axis and horizontal trajectory as positive x-axis.

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

11. Now, you are ready to analyze projectile motion, 15.1. For trajectory-A, you can calculate the time (t)
horizontally and vertically. corresponding to each of the dots by using spark-
timer frequency.

11.1. First, draw the x and y-axes for trajectory-B to 15.2. Record your data values in the trajectory-A

determine the initial position of the projectile columns of the Table-(6).

motion.
2
11.2. This can be done by first drawing a line parallel to 10. Plot “y” versus “t ” graphs for both trajectory-A
the trajectory-A that passes the first dot (dot 0) and trajectory-B. Then, draw the best line for the
of the trajectory-B. This line will give the y-axis each graph that fits your data points.
(take the positive y-direction to be downwards).
11.3. Then, draw a horizontal line perpendicular to it 10.1. By using the slope, find the accelerations:
from dot 0 to get the x-axis.  aA and,

12. After that, draw from each dot in trajectory-B

 aB
normal to the x and y-axes to get the x and y- of the vertical motions for both trajectory-A and
trajectory-B.
projections of these dots.

15.3. Note that the slope of the x versus t2 graph will

13. Measure the time of flight, tf (the total time that
be equal to:
1
elapsed during the motion of the puck) and the " a ".
2
range xR of the projectile (the horizontal distance
15.4. Compare these two accelerations of both
traveled during the motion). trajectories and also compare them with the
acceleration found in the previous experiment
13.1. Note that the time interval between two dots is (Experiment-2).
given by “1/f ” which is equal to 1/20 seconds. 15.5. Show your calculations with the correct number of
13.2. Calculate the projection velocity (horizontal significant figures and units on your graph paper
velocity) vx=v0x by using the time of flight (tf) clearly.

and total horizontal distance (xR) in the

Equation-(21).
Conclusions and Questions
13.3. Record your data in the Table-(5).
13.4. Note that in the horizontal (x) direction of an Path-1 (straight line-trajectory-A):
object projected horizontally, the initial velocity is
 Is the acceleration constant for the motion along
horizontal and constant (that is, ax=0).
the y-axis?

14. Starting from dot “0” of the trajectory-B, measure

Path-2 (curved line- trajectory-B):
the distances of the y-projections of 10 data
points (dots) with respect to the point (origin).  Is the horizontal velocity of a projected puck
constant? Use your graph and data sheet for your
14.1. Determine also the time (t) corresponding to each explanation.
of these dots.  If the velocity of horizontal motion in the projectile
14.2. Fill the measurements in the trajectory-B motion is constant, what is the horizontal
columns in the experimental data Table-(6). acceleration of a projected puck?.
 Does the vertical velocity of the object increase

15. Similarly, by starting from dot “0” of the downward in each time interval?.
 Is the vertical acceleration of projectile motion
trajectory-A, measure the distances (locations)
constant?.
of the first 10 data points (dots) with the
corresponding times along the y-axis.

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

5.3.2. LABORATORY REPORT

Projectile Motion

Table-5: Horizontal velocity of the projectile motion.

Trajectory-B ( x -Horizontal Component Motion)

Frequency Dot
x(m) t (sec) x R (m) t f (sec) v x (m / s)
f (Hz) Number

(Measured) (Measured) (Calculated) (Calculated) (Calculated)

0 0 0

4
20 5 ….. ….. …..

10

Table-6: The measurements of accelerations for the trajectory-A and trajectory-B.

Trajectory-A Trajectory-B Trajectory-A Trajectory-B

Dot (Vertical Motion) (Vertical Motion) (By the Slope) (By the Slope)
Number

y (m) t (sec) y (m) t (sec) a A (m / s 2 ) a B (m / s 2 )

0 0 0 0 0
1

5 ….. …..
6

10

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Rentech Air Table Experiments

Graph-3: Position as a function of the square of time for the trajectory-A.

Graph-4: Position as a function of the square of time for the trajectory-B.

23