PHYSICS HONORS

The Motion of a Toy Car

Finding Acceleration with a Ticker Timer
Joanne Choi

Mrs. Aumack
The Motion of a Toy Car: Finding Acceleration with a Ticker Timer

Purpose: To determine the acceleration of the toy car traveling down a ramp.

Procedure:
1. Position the toy car on the ramp at a distance of 20 cm, 40 cm, 60 cm, 80 cm, and 100
cm from the bottom.
2. From each position, release the car so it slides down the ramp until it hits the bottom.
Using a stopwatch, record the time in seconds for each distance.
3. Then, attach a ticker tape to the toy car and reposition 100 cm from the origin.
4. Turn on the ticker timer, and release the car so it slides down the ramp until it hits the
bottom. Record the time using the stopwatch.
5. Tear off the segment of ticker tape used, or the section with dots. Measure the distance
between every six dots in centimeters; record on a table.

Data:

 Attached at the end of the report

o Two hand graphs (d vs. t, v vs. t): Part I
o Two digital graphs (d vs. t, v vs. t): Part II

Hand timed values:

Distance = Distance = Distance = Distance = Distance =

20cm 40cm 60cm 80cm 100cm

First Timing .63 sec 1.08 sec 1.42 sec 1.63 sec 1.84 sec

Second Timing .64 sec 1.09 sec 1.44 sec 1.65 sec 1.81 sec

Third Timing .65 sec 1.10 sec 1.40 sec 1.64 sec 1.84 sec

Points graphed on handwritten distance vs. time graph:

X=average time in seconds (hand timed)
Y=distance in centimeters from origin
(0.64s, 20cm)
(1.09s, 40cm)
(1.43s, 60cm)
(1.64s, 80cm)
(1.83s, 100cm)
Calculations:

Part One
Finding Instantaneous Velocity

a. (0.1s, 0cm) (0.64s, 20cm) = (20cm-0cm) / (0.64s-0.1s) = 37.0 cm/s

b. (0.3s, 0cm) (1.09s, 40cm) = 50.63 cm/s
c. (0.6s, 0cm) (1.43s, 60cm) = 72.29 cm/s
d. ( 0.8s, 0cm) (1.64s, 80cm) = 95.24 cm/s
e. (1.1s, 0cm) (1.83s, 100cm) = 136.99 cm/s

Finding Experimental Acceleration

(0.64s, 37 cm/s) (1.83s, 136.99 cm/s)
= (136.99cm/s – 37 m/s) / (1.83s – 0.64s)
= 84.03 cm/s2

Part Two
Finding Final Velocity using D = 1/2 (Vf + Vi) (∆T)

a. Given: Vi = 0, T = 0.64 s, D = 20 cm
20cm = ½ (Vf + 0cm/s) 0.64s
40cm = Vf (0.64s)
Vf = 62.5 cm/s
b. 73.4 cm/s
c. 83.9 cm/s
d. 97.6 cm/s
e. 109.3 cm/s

Finding Accepted Acceleration

(0.64s, 62.5cm/s) (1.83s, 109.3cm/s)

= (109.3cm/s – 62.5 cm/s) / (1.83s – 0.64s)
= 39.3 cm/s2

Error Analysis:

│39.3 cm/s2 – 84.03 cm/s2│ x 100 = 113.8%

39.3 cm/s2
Conclusion:

A. Background and Theory:

Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity. It is a vector quantity, which means that it includes
magnitude (whether it increases or decreases in speed) and direction. Acceleration is
determined by the slope of a velocity vs. time graph. Velocity is determined by the slope of a
distance vs. time graph. The distance and time is determined through an experiment, which one
records according to given directions. If the acceleration of a moving item is given, its velocity
can be determined by calculating the area underneath the acceleration line. The distance can
then be determined by calculating the area underneath the velocity line. Clearly, there exists a
definite relationship between distance, velocity, and acceleration.
B. Formulas
a. d = ½(vf + vi)t
b. m = (y1 - y2) / (x1 - x2)
C. Results
The average acceleration of the toy car, after using calculations both by hand and
technology, was 84.03 cm/s2. However, the accepted acceleration was 39.3 cm/s 2. Thus,
the calculated percent error was 113.8%.
D. Explanation of Results
In terms of physics, the results were possible because the law of gravity determines that
when an item is placed on a downward slope near the earth, it will fall at a certain rate.
Gravity is a value of acceleration; thus, the item accelerates as it becomes closer and
closer to the origin. The acceleration generated, which was 84.03 cm/s 2, was produced
by means of calculations and formulas regarding accelerated motion. As for the reason
behind the disparity between the experimental and accepted acceleration, there are a
variety of ways the actual acceleration could have been miscalculated, which will be
discussed in the sources of error section.
E. Five Sources of Error
a. The friction of the ticker tape through the buzzer or between the person’s hand
and the car may cause a delay in the actual speed of the acceleration. The tape
may pull slightly inside of sliding smoothly through and the person’s hand may
cause the car to be bumped back slightly; these would result in an error in
recorded time.
b. The impact of the collision between the car and the bottom of the ramp may
cause the ramp to move slightly with each trial. Thus, by the end of the
experiment, the ramp would be inaccurately displaced and the actual distance
would be miscalculated.
c. The exact time that the car collided with the origin or when it was released at
the starting point could be misjudged. The person recording time could
accidentally cause delay in the actual time data by clicking the button too late, or
too soon.
d. The ramp may have been slightly deficient in that it had dents, bumps, or curves
due to lightweight material. This would affect the data in that the ramp would
not serve as a constant, and speed/time would be inaccurately influenced.
e. A person may accidentally bump into the ramp and move it, push the car rather
than merely release it, or mistakenly change the collision object during trials.