Velocity and acceleration lab

Velocity and Acceleration Name: Group Members (if any): Instructions: Describing the motion of an object often refers to the object’s speed or velocity. Speed is the rate of change of the object’s distance travelled compared to the time required to cover that distance. Velocity is similar to speed, but adds direction of travel. An example of speed is 6.5 m/s while velocity would be 6.5 m/s east. Distance is found by taking th difference in an object’s positions. To find the distance the object’s final position minus the object’s initial position giv the distance travelled along with its direction. If the object changes its speed then it has acceleration. The object’s sp increases if it undergoes acceleration in the same direction of travel of the object. The object’s speed decreases when acceleration occurs in the opposite direction of travel of the object. When the velocity of the object stays the same for times, then it is traveling with a constant velocity. Some conventional signs used for direction are positive to refer to t right or up, while negative refers to the left or down. We will investigate these concepts using two different types of toy Outcomes: 1. The student will describe the velocity of toy cars using a distance-time graph. 2. The student will calculate the velocity and describe the acceleration for each car. 3. The student will use graphing software to analyze the data. Materials: 1 1 1 1 1 1 Battery Car Pull Back Car Tape Measure Chalk Stop Watch Camera or phone to take a selfie with your setup. A partner would be helpful for this lab Safety Points: 1. Small parts are involved, keep them from small children or animals. 2. Don't leave materials scattered on the floor, trip hazard. Procedure: 1. Clear a large distance up to 5 meters on a smooth level sidewalk or floor; mark the starting line with your chalk. 2. Using the Battery car, turn it on then release it at the starting point. Use the timer to determine distance travelled in 1 second distance the car has gone during each interval using your chalk. 3. Measure and record the distances in the data table below. Record all distances from the starting point of the car. 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 three more times. 5. Using the Pull Back car, repeat steps 2 - 4. Be sure pull the car back the same distance every time: recommended distance is 6. Find the average distance for each time for each car. These are the values that you will be graphing.