Science - Physics - Mechanics - 7 Linear Motion with the Timer (P1004005)

7.6 Potential and Kinetic Energies

TaskTask
How great is the kinetic energy of a rolling car?
From an experimental car with mass mW which is on a track, and over a pulley hangs a weight which under
gravitational pull has the potential energy Epot = mg g h. Here, h is the height over the ground and g is the gravitational
acceleration. The weight on the line pulls the car and accelerates it. The weight reaches the ground after
accelerating the car along the distance s, which corresponds to the initial heigth of the weight. Together, the
weight and the car have a combined mass m = mW + mg and are brought together to the speed vh. After this, the car
continues moving without acceleration. Examine the speed, vh, which the car reaches with the aid of the
photoelectric gates and the timer.
The weight on the line in the gravitational field loses potential energy as it falls and moves the car. This potential
energy can be determined based on the lost height of the weight. The energy is converted into the motion energy
of the car and the weight. This experiment also determines what speed the weight and the car reach with the
energy available. In this way the relation between speed and motion energy can be established. This motion
energy is also called kinetic energy, Ekin.

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 Material

Material
Material from "TESS advanced Physics Set Linear Motion, with Timer 2-1, ME-DYN" (Order No.
15283-88)
Position No. Material Order No. Quantity
1 Measurement/experimental car 11060-00 1
2 Shade plate for the measurement car 11060-10 1
3 Holding pin 03949-00 1
4 Silk thread, 200 m 02412-00 1
5 Weight holder, bronzed, 1 g 02407-00 1
6 Slotted weight, bare, 1 g 03916-00 4
7 Slotted weight, black coloured, 10 g 02205-01 4
8 Slotted weight, black coloured, 50 g 02206-01 3
9 Pulley, movable, d = 40 mm, with hook 03970-00 1
10 Rod for pulley 02263-00 1
11 Timer 2-1, incl. power supply 13607-99 1
12 Compact photoelectric gate 11207-20 1
13 Foot plate for the compact photoelectric gate 11207-22 1
14 Connecting cable, red, 32 A, 1000 mm 07363-01 1
15 Connecting cable, yellow, 32 A, 1000 mm 07363-02 1
16 Connecting cable, blue, 32 A, 1000 mm 07363-04 1
17 Track 1, l = 500 mm 11302-00 1
18 Track 2, l = 500mm 11303-00 1

Material required for the experiment

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 Setup

Setup
Set up the track according to Fig. 1 + 2.

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

Place the shade plate and two 50 g weights on the car's retaining bolt (Fig. 3) and set the inclination of the track
so that the car continues to roll with a speed which is as continuous as possible once it has been pushed toward
the end with the pulley (Fig. 4). To do this, place the screw on the other end of the track onto the notched weights
and turn its adjustment screw (one 50 g and one 10 g weight should be about right).

Fig. 3 Fig. 4

Screw the foot plates onto the photoelectric gate (Fig. 5) and connect the gate to the timer (Fig. 6).

Fig. 5 Fig. 6

Move the rotary switch to the "" position, the second from the left. Now the device will show the beam interruption
time. That is the time during which the light beam in the gate is interrupted by the shade plate.

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Put one end of the thread through the hole in the retaining bold on the underside of the car (Fig. 7), draw it under
the car and onto the upper side and tie it to the retaining bolt (Fig. 8). Tie the other end to the 1g weight holder
(Fig. 9), and choose the thread length so that the weight reaches the ground as the car reaches the last quarter of
the track, more or less.

Fig. 7 Fig. 8

Fig. 9

Place a 10 g weight on the 1g weight holder, so that the weight pulling the car is 11 g (Fig. 10).

Fig. 10

Fix the pulley to the rod (Fig. 11) and clamp it on the track (Fig. 12). The thread should run over the car's axles,
parallel to the surface of the track and over the pulley (Fig. 13).

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Fig. 11 Fig. 12

Fig. 13

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 Action

Procedure
Take note of the position of the car as the weight touches the ground while retaining tension on the thread.
Place the gate so that its beam is interrupted by the plate as soon as the weight has touched the ground.

Push the car from this point a distance of s = 10 cm uphill. In doing this, the weight is lifted from the ground by
the same distance, attaining the potential energy Epot = mg · g · s. At this point, s equals the height h of the
weight with
the mass m over the ground in the earth's gravitational field with the gravitational acceleration g = 9,81 m / s2 =
g
9,81 N / kg.

Before each measurement, press the timer's reset button.

Carry out several measurements, in which the distance s, by which the car is pushed uphill, is increased in 0.10 m
increments.
If necessary, make the thread shorter by pulling on the thread on the upper side of the car and passing it around
the hook at the end of the car and the retaining bolt.

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 Results

Results
Table 1
2 2 2
h in m Δt in s vh = Δs / Δt in m/s Epot = mg · g · h in Nm vh in m /s mexp in kg

0.10
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80

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 Evaluation

Evaluation
Question 1
Calculate the instantaneous speed, vh , after the weight has dropped along the height h, that is, the quotient of
the plate width Δs = 0.05 m and the time Δt: vh = Δs/Δt. Complete the table.

Question 2
Calculate the potential energy, Epot = mg g h, and complete the table.

Question 3
2 2
Calculate the square of the speed reached, vh , complete the table. In Graph 1, Epot was plotted against vh . What
kind of relation do you obtain?

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Question 4

Determine the value of the total accelerated mass, m = mW + mg, and record it: (car
m=
+ retaining bolt 50 g, plate 10 g).

Question 5
Determine the slope k for the curve in graph 1. What dimension or units does k have? Compare the result with
the total accelerated mass m = mW + mg. What do you notice?

Question 6

Assume that E = 1/2 m v 2 applies to the kinetic energy and that this is equal to the potiential energy, E = m g
kin h pot
h. Then, from the experiment a value, mexp, can be calculated for the mass from the values in the fourth and fifth
columns of table 1, according to 1/2 m v 2 = E , from which follows m = 2 E / v 2 . With this, complete
exp h pot exp pot
the table and compare the values obtained with the values for the mass in question 4.

Question 7
The track was inclined in order to compensate for the car's friction. The car's potential energy was therefore drawn
upon to overcome the force of friction. Consider what happens if the car's force of friction is dependent on its
speed. Are there other sources of error?

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