Stephanie+and+JC+Accelerated+Motion

=Accelerated Motion=


 * Participants**: Stephanie Robison and JC Smith
 * Purpose**: The purpose of this lab is to observe motion that is accelerated.


 * Brief Description of Experiment**: For this experiment we took a 500g wieght and dropped it while standing on a stool. We calculated this motion using a piece of long tape paper, and timer tape. We then calculated the number of dots on the paper tape and where they were located. Then measured the distance each point was from the first mark. With this graph we are able to find the slope of the line and identify the slope of the line. We did this same experiment for the hovercraft as well, though instead substituted pushing it along a table instead of dropping it from a height.


 * Data**:






 * Results**: We calculated the acceleration of this particular weight dropping from a certain height by recording and finding the slope of the points on the tape. The acceleration, and slope of this set of data was **7.381 for the falling mass and .4771 for the hover craft.**

Lab Questions**:

1. The falling mass was clearly accelerating, because as it was falling it was clearly picking up speed as it got closer to the ground. You can tell by looking at the position versus time graph because the line is in fact half a parabola giving it a curved look, indicating the speed increase. You can also tell the object is accelerating by looking at the velocity versus time graph because the graph has a perfectly straight sloping line, indicationg the gradual increase.

2. The hovercraft was clearly deccelerating when looking at it and looking at the graphs. Though in the beginning the hovercraft is increasing acceleration due to the assistance of a push, it overall decreased as it went along by itself. You can tell on the position graph because the line goes up, then slowly starts to bend over itself. On the velocity graph it is apparent that the hovercraft was deccelerating because it curls negatively as well

3. The value of the acceleration of our weight was** **. A relevant value for a "free falling object" is 9.8m/(s x s). This accepted value and our value have a percent difference of -24.68% for the falling mass.**


 * 4. A positive velocity and a negative acceleration means that the acceleration is slowing down. A negative velocity and a negative acceleration means that it is slowing down.**

Conclusion:

This expperiment could easily be reproduced as long as you had more tape, the same weight, and the same or similar timer tape. The reason our results differ from the accepted values is simply because of human error such as slightly inaccurate measurments between the dots on the long tape paper. An improvement to this experiment could be to use more accurate (a smaller ruler) measurments between the dots on the tape paper.

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