Laboratory 1 Rubric (Online)

(125 pts)

Goal (5 pts): (This should be in your own words. Do not copy from the lab manual.)

Exercise 1
Plot 1 (5 pts): Paste your labeled plot of position versus time (including the trendline).

Question 1 (5 pts): What is the slope of the best fitting straight line? 
Question 2 (5 pts): What is the uncertainty (standard error) in this slope? 
Question 3 (5 pts): Do you think that a straight line produces a good fit to the data? Explain.

Question 4 (5 pts): What is the average speed and the uncertainty in the average speed of the
object?  
Question 5 (5 pts): Is the object moving with approximately constant speed, or is its speed
increasing or decreasing?  Justify your answer.  (How do you know?)

Plot 2 (5 pts): Paste your labeled plot of speed versus time.

Question 6 (5 pts): What is the value of the average speed?

Question 7 (5 pts): How does it compare to the slope of the straight line fit?

Exercise 2
Plot 3 (5 pts): Paste your labeled plot of x(m) versus time (s) (including the trendline).

Question 8 (5 pts): What is the slope of the best fitting straight line? 
Question 9 (5 pts): What is the uncertainty (standard error) in this slope? 
Question 10 (5 pts): Do you think that a straight line produces a good fit to the data? Explain.

Question 11 (5 pts): What is the average speed and the uncertainty in the average speed of the
cart?
Question 12 (5 pts): Is the cart moving with approximately constant speed, or is its speed
increasing or decreasing?  Justify your answer.

Exercise 3
(a)  Include a screenshot of the simulation to show work.
Question 13 (5 pts): How far did you move in the North direction?
Question 14 (5 pts): How far did you move in the East direction?
Question 15 (5 pts): How would you calculate the North and East components of your
displacement vector if you could not use the simulation?  Check that you get the same results.

(b) Include a screenshot of the simulation to show work.

Question 16 (5 pts): If a bird flew from your house to the restaurant in a straight line, what
distance would it cover? 
Question 17 (5 pts): In what direction would it fly?
Question 18 (5 pts): How would you calculate the magnitude and direction of the bird's
displacement vector if you could not use the simulation?  Check that you get the same results.

(c) Include a screenshot of the simulation to show work.

Question 19 (5 pts): Use the simulation to find the magnitude and direction of the car's
displacement vector.
Question 20 (5 pts): Describe how you use the simulation to add vectors.

(d)  Include a screenshot of the simulation to show work.

Question 21 (5 pts): What is the airplane's resultant velocity (magnitude and direction) with
respect to the ground?  (In the simulation, scale your vectors appropriately.)