NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

EXPERIMENT NUMBER: 02
Average speed and instantaneous speed.
SUBMITTED TO: MR MUZAHIR ALI
SUBMITTED BY: SULEMAN ZAFAR
NUTECH ID: F21601050
DATE: 24-11-2021

1. Objective:
In this experiment the students learn something about the physical significance of velocity.
They also learn about the concept of instantaneous velocity and can compare it with average
velocity.
 Record a position-time diagram via the app. Select a reference point and have the
average velocities calculated for a different number of averaged points. Compare the
calculated values with the instantaneous velocity.

1) Apparatus Used:
 We use Digicart track system (1.2m)
 DigiCart (white)
 Height adjustable holder
 DigiCart App
2) Theoretical Explanation:
Velocity is one of the basic concepts of kinetics. It indicates how fast an object moves in space and
is measured in meters per second. The concept of instantaneous velocity is based on average
velocity. If Δx denotes the change of position in a period of time Δt, you can use;
𝒗 = ∆ 𝒙 ∆𝒕
to calculate the average velocity v. If now the time interval Δt is made smaller and smaller, it goes
over to the infinitesimal object dt and the quotient of the above formula becomes the time
derivative of the location. This is the definition of the instantaneous velocity at a time t.
𝒗(𝒕)= ∆𝒙 = 𝒙(𝒕) ∆𝒕

While two points in time are necessary for the determination of the average velocity (start and end
of interval), the instantaneous velocity can be determined from the specification of only one point
in time as a derivation of the position function.
Set-up
The experimental set-up is shown in the Fig. 1 for the measurements process.

Fig.1. Overview of Experimental Setup

i Bring the track into a horizontal position. Now raise one end of the lane by about 10
cm & 15 cm using the height-adjustable holder. The track is now inclined so that the DigiCart
can roll down.
ii Start the DigiCart App.
iii Select experiment 2 from the overview. The measurement window opens.
iv Connect the DigiCart to the app (see Fig. 2). Two steps are required. First, press the
ON switch on the DigiCart for at least 3 seconds. Then open the connection window in the app
via the Bluetooth symbol (1.). The DigiCart should now be displayed there. If not, you can
update the list by clicking on scan (2.). Now, one taps the DigiCart from the list once and
establishes the connection via the connect button (3.). You can now hide the window again by
pressing the close button (4.).
 Fig.2. Connecting to the DigiCart

4) Explanation of Procedure:
Fig. 3 shows the steps for the measurement process.
i. The DigiCart is positioned and held in the elevated area of the track.
ii. Start the measurement by clicking on start measurement (1.).
iii. Let the DigiCart roll down the track.
iv. Stop the measurement by clicking on stop measurement (2.) as soon as the DigiCart has
arrived at the bottom.
v. By clicking on select reference point (3.), select a point in time in the position-time
diagram at which the instantaneous velocity is calculated. The selection is made by
sweeping the interval with the finger.
 Fig.3. Measurement Procedure

Evaluation/Analysis:
i. Fig. 4 shows the steps for the evaluation.
ii. Use the "+" and "-" buttons (1.) and select the smallest possible value 3. The displayed
number 3 indicates the number of measuring points over which the mean value is to be
determined. By tapping on the add button (2.) the value is calculated and written into the
left table.
iii. Proceed in the same way as in the last step for averaging over 5, 7, 9 and 11 measuring
points.
iv. By tapping on a line in the table, it can be deleted using the remove button (3.) and then
rewritten.
v. The instantaneous velocity is automatically calculated and displayed for the selected
reference point (4.).
vi. If the measurement is to be repeated for a new reference point, you can tap the "x-t" tab
above the position time diagram (5.). The above steps can then be repeated.
The table shows that the more averaging points were used, the greater the increase in the
average speed. Furthermore, the average value at the lowest number of averaging points is
closest to the instantaneous speed.

Fig. 4. Evaluation Procedure

Question 1: Name the main difference between the instantaneous and average speed?
Ans: Instantaneous means at one point or at a single time whereas average means more than one
point or at more than single time period.
Question 2: What effect does it have if you use more and more points for averaging?
Ans: If we use more and more points then our results or measurements would be more accurate.
Question 3: For which motion does instantaneous and average speed match?
Ans: Uniform velocity means no or zero acceleration.
5) Observations and Calculations:
Relationship between average speed and instantaneous speed
Adjustable Height = 10 cm
Table 1: The values of change of position (Δx), period of time (Δt), instantaneous speed and
calculated average speed of the DigiCart at different measuring points, respectively.

Averaging Points Δx (m) Δt (sec) Instantaneous Speed Calculated Average

(m/sec) Speed
v = Δx/ Δt
(m/sec)
3 0.01 0.04 0.26 0.26
5 0.02 0.08 0.28 0.28
7 0.03 0.11 0.26 0.27
9 0.05 0.15 0.31 0.32
11 0.06 0.19 0.30 0.31
Mean 0.282 0.288
S.D ±0.0114 ±0.0129
 Adjustable Height = 15 cm
Table 2: The values of change of position (Δx), period of time (Δt), instantaneous speed and
calculated average speed of the DigiCart at different measuring points, respectively.

Averaging Δx Δt Instantaneous Calculated

Points (m) (sec)
Speed Average Speed
(m/sec) v = Δx/ Δt
(m/sec)
3 0.02 0.03 0.66 0.66
5 0.06 0.07 0.75 0.76
7 0.07 0.12 0.63 0.64
9 0.13 0.16 0.80 0.84
11 0.16 0.20 0.76 0.80
0.72 0.74
±0.0358 ±0.0435
6) Results and Analysis:
With the help of Digicart App we experiment about change in position (Δx) period of time (Δt) instantaneous
speed and average speed. Our Calculated average speed is same at some points with average speed from Digicart
and at some points it is very slightly different. Overall our experiment done very well,Very Minor standard
deviations which shows that our mean values deviates from our real Values very Slightly. Instantaneous speed is
the exact speed that a body is moving at, at a given instant in time. It is a true measure of the body's motion for that
point in time. An average speed tells you how much distance a body covers during a certain time span, but it does
not tell you much about the actual motion that occurred.
7) Precautions:
 Calculations must be written very carefully. Cart must be save from any kind of damage .Digicart track
system must be( 1.2m) and height must be adjust properly. Measurement must be on mark!

 App must use very carefully and keys must press on time .

8) Comments:
 Results are very much satisfactory .We achieved our our goal

 There is not much deviations in our experiment values and calculated ones.
Precise measurement results in more precise values of instantaneous speed and average speed .Also
precise and perfect results .Although its time taken process but a perfect one for our purpose!