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Physics Lab #6 Terminal Velocity PD

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Oraine R
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90 views

Physics Lab #6 Terminal Velocity PD

Uploaded by

Oraine R
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Physics Lab #6

Title: Terminal Velocity

Problem Statement: When a cupcake liner falls, right way up through the air, it quickly
reaches terminal velocity. The drag force, D, acting on the cupcake liner, is given by:

D = f⍴Av2

Where:

⍴ is the density of air (known to be 1.2 kg m-3).

v is the terminal velocity

A is the cross-sectional area of the base of the cupcake liner

f is a number (having no units) called the shape factor.

Plan and design an experiment to determine if the shape factor of cupcake liners is a
constant. (Regardless of their size and even when several are stacked together)

Aim: To determine if the shape factor of cupcake liners is a constant.

Hypothesis: The shape factor of cupcake liners is constant.

Apparatus and Materials:

 1 pack of 2 oz cupcake liners


 1 pack 3 oz cupcake liners
 1 pack 5.5 oz cupcake liners
 meter ruler
 stopwatch

Method:
1. Determine the weight of one cupcake liner from the weight of the pack of cupcake
liners.
2. Measure the diameter of the cupcake liner using the meter ruler.
3. Calculate the cross- sectional area of the cupcake liner.
4. Hold the meter ruler and let it stand vertically on the ground.
5. Place the cupcake liner upright and let the base line up with a point close to the top
of the meter ruler. Record the distance of the cupcake liner from the ground.
6. Release the cupcake liner while simultaneously starting the stopwatch.
7. Stop the stopwatch as soon as the cupcake liner land on the ground. Record the time
taken for the cupcake liner to reach the ground.
8. Repeat steps 1-6 once more using another cupcake liner from the same brand.
9. Repeat steps 1-7 using cupcake liners from the other brands.
10. Repeat the process using 5 cupcake liners stacked together for each brand.
11. Repeat the process using 10 cupcake liners stacked together for each brand.

Diagram:

DIAGRAM OF A CUPCAKE LINER FALLING FROM A CERTAIN HEIGHT ABOVE THE GROUND

Variables:
 Manipulated: The cross-sectional area of the cupcake liner used in each experiment.
 Controlled: The height which each cupcake liner was dropped from.
 Responding: The velocity of each cupcake liner as it fell through the air.

Data to be collected:
TABLE SHOWING THE TIME TAKEN AND VELOCITY OF CUPCAKE LINERS OF DIFFERENT
CROSS-SECTIONAL AREAS AS THEY FELL FROM A CERTAIN HEIGHT

Trial Cupcake Cross- Distance Time (s) Average Velocity Velocity2


# Liner Sectional travelled(m) Time(s) (m/s) (m2/s2)
Size Area(m2)
1 1
2 1
1 2
2 2
1 3
2 3

TABLE SHOWING THE TIME TAKEN AND VELOCITIES OF 5 STACKED CUPCAKE LINERS OF
DIFFERENT CROSS-SECTIONAL AREAS AS THEY FELL FROM A CERTAIN HEIGHT

Trial Cupcake Cross- Distance Time Average Velocity Velocity2


# Liner Sectional travelled(m) Taken(s) Time Taken (m/s) (m2/s2)
Size Area(m2) (s)
1 1
2 1
1 2
2 2
1 3
2 3

TABLE SHOWING THE TIME TAKEN AND VELOCITIES OF 10 STACKED CUPCAKE LINERS
OF DIFFERENT CROSS-SECTIONAL AREAS AS THEY FELL FROM A CERTAIN HEIGHT
Trial Cupcake Cross- Distance Time Average Velocity Velocity2
# Liner Sectional travelled(m) Taken(s) Time Taken (m/s) (m2/s2)
Size Area(m2) (s)
1 1
2 1
1 2
2 2
1 3
2 3

Graph:

GRAPH SHOWING DRAG FORCE (N) VERSUS AREA (m2) OF CUPCAKE LINERS FALLING
FROM A CERTAIN HEIGHT

Drag force (N)

Cross-Sectional Area (m2)


Calculations:

 Weight of cupcake liner = (weight of pack of cupcake liners/ number of cupcake


liners in the package)*the number of cupcake liners being used in the experiment
 Ounces to grams= Weight in ounces*0.278
 Cross sectional area of cupcake liner base= πr2
 Average time taken= (time for trial 1 + time for trial 2)/2
 Velocity= distance travelled/average time taken
 D = f⍴Av2

Therefore, f= D/pAv2

Expected Results: As the cupcake liners fall from a certain height above the ground, they
will reach their terminal velocity. At terminal velocity, the net force acting on the cupcake
liners is zero and the drag force is therefore equal to the weight of the cupcake liners. As
the size of the cupcake liners changes, the cross-sectional area of the cupcake liners also
changes. This results in the terminal velocity reached by the cupcake liners also changing. If
these values change proportionally, then the shape factor of the cupcake liners will be
constant.

Interpretation of Results: If the shape factor of the cupcake liners is constant then the
hypothesis that the shape factor of cupcake liners is constant is true. If the shape factor of
the cupcake liners is not constant then the hypothesis that the shape factor of cupcake
liners is constant is false.

Sources of Error:

1. Ensure the point on the ruler which the base of the cupcake liner is placed is read
from eye-level to reduce parallax errors in the experiment and improve the
precision of the results.
2. Ensure that the stopwatch is started immediately after the cupcake liner is released
to ensure that the results are as accurate as possible.

Limitations:

1. The cupcake liners from the same brand have different cross-sectional areas.
2. Not a long enough distance for terminal velocity to be reached.

Precautions:

1. Ensure that each cupcake liner is dropped from the same height above the ground.
2. Ensure the cupcake liners do not have any holes at the base of them to prevent
inaccuracy in the experiments.

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