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Acceleration
Part I. Uniformly Accelerated Motion: Kinematics and Geometry
Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time: a ≡ dv/dt. In this experiment, you will study a very important class of motion called uniformly-accelerated motion. Uniform acceleration means that the acceleration is constant − independent of time − and thus the velocity changes at a constant rate. The motion of an object (near the earth’s surface) due to gravity is the classic example of uniformly accelerated motion. If you drop any object, then its velocity will increase by the same amount (9.8 m/s) during each one-second interval of time.
Galileo figured out the physics of uniformly-accelerated motion by studying the motion of a bronze ball rolling down a wooden ramp. You will study the motion of a glider coasting down a tilted air track. You will discover the deep connection between kinematic concepts (position, velocity, acceleration) and geometric concepts (curvature, slope, area).
A. The Big Four: t , x , v , a
The subject of kinematics is concerned with the description of how matter moves through space and time. The four quantities, time t, position x, velocity v, and acceleration a, are the basic descriptors of any kind of motion of a particle moving in one spatial dimension. They are the “stars of the kinema”. The variables describing space (x) and time (t) are the fundamental kinematic entities. The other two (v and a) are derived from these spatial and temporal properties via the relations v ≡ dx/dt and a ≡ dv/dt.
Let’s measure how x, v, and a of your glider depend on t. First make sure that the track is level. The acceleration of the glider on a horizontal air track is constant, but its value (a = 0) is not very interesting. In order to have a ≠ 0, you must tilt the track. Place two wooden blocks under the leg of the track near the end where the motion sensor is located. Release the glider at the top of the track and record its motion using the motion sensor. [Click on Logger Pro and open file Changing Velocity 2]. The graph window displays x, v, and a as a function of time t. Your graphs should have the following overall appearance:
x
t
v
t
t
a
parabola
linear
constant
Good Data Region
Focus on the good data region of the graphs where the acceleration is constant. To find this region, look for that part of the graphs where the x, v, a curves take on smooth well-defined shapes: x = parabola , v = linear (sloping line) , a = constant (flat line). In the “bad data region”, the acceleration is changing because the glider is experiencing forces other than gravity, such as your hand pushing the glider or the glider hitting the bumper.
PRINT your x , v , a graphs and label the “good data region”. Have your instructor check your graphs and your good-data region before you move on to the next part of the lab.
B. Changing Velocity ⇔⇔⇔⇔ Curving Worldline
Look at your x(t) graph and note: The worldline of your glider is curved! Recall that in the constant-velocity lab, all graphs were straight.
Changing Velocity [1st^ change in v] is synonymous with a Curved Worldline [2nd^ change in x]:
a = dv/dt = d^2 x/dt^2.
Note that d^2 x/dt^2 = d(dx/dt)/dt = d(slope)/dt is the rate of change in the slope of x(t), i.e. the “curvature” of x(t). A straight worldline has a constant slope. A curved worldline has a changing slope. The amount of “bending” in a curve − the deviation from straightness − is measured by how much the slope changes.
The Importance of “Curvature” in Theoretical Physics
The gravitational force of the earth is the cause of the curved worldline of your glider. Remove the earth and the worldline would become straight. Two-Hundred and Fifty years after Newton, Einstein formulated his celebrated “Field Equations” which state the precise mathematical relationship between the amount of mass (the source of gravity) and the curvature of spacetime. Force causes x(t) to curve. Mass causes spacetime to warp.
Measuring the “Curvature” of Your Glider’s Worldline
Click on the Slope Icon [m=?] and find the slope dx/dt at four different points on the x(t) curve. Note that dx/dt is equal to the instantaneous velocity of the glider. Make sure that the points are within the good-data region. Pick four points that occur at times t that are separated by a one-second interval, such as t = 1,2,3,4 or t = 3,4,5,6 or ...
time t (s)
slope (m/s)
large a
x
small a
zero a
t
PRINT your v(t) graph window (not x and a). Label the points 1 and 2 with your pen. Write the coordinate values (t 1 , v 1 ) and (t 2 , v 2 ) next to each point. Calculate the following two geometric properties of the v(t) graph:
- Slope of the line. 2. Area under the line between t 1 and t 2.
Show your calculations (rise-over-run , base-times-height etc.) directly on your printed graph. Report your slope and area results here:
Slope of v(t) line = _____________ (m/s)/s. Area under v(t) line = _____________ (m/s)•s.
Two Key Observations: 1. The ratio dv/dt is the rise (dv) over the run (dt) of a line.
- The product vdt is the area of a rectangle of base dt and height v. Conclusion:
a = dv/dt ⇒ Acceleration a = Slope of v(t) graph. dx = vdt ⇒ Displacement ∆x = Area under v(t) graph.
You already found a (from the a values in the data table). Write this value of a again in the space below. From your measured values of x 1 and x 2 (listed above), you can find the displacement of the glider: ∆x = x 2 − x 1 , i.e. the distance moved by the glider during the time interval from t 1 to t 2.
a = _____________ m/s^2. ∆x = _____________ m.
Compare this value of a with your value of “Slope of v(t) line”. Compare this value of ∆x with your value of “Area under v(t) line”.
% diff between a and slope = ______ %. % diff between ∆x and area = ______ %.
Physics and Calculus. The problem of finding slopes and areas is the essence of the whole subject of Calculus. Newton invented Calculus for one reason: to understand Motion. In Calculus, “finding slopes (accelerations)” and “finding areas (displacements)” are inverse operations called “differentiation” and “integration”, respectively.
a = Slope
v
t (^) t
∆x = Area
v
D. Computational Physics : Finding the “Best Value” of a
Let’s use the full computational power of the computer to find the acceleration of the glider by analyzing all the data collected by the motion sensor.
Statistical Analysis of a(t)
Select the good-data region of your a(t) graph. Remember the data selection procedure: click and drag from the left to right end of the region. To perform a statistical analysis of the selected data, click on the Statistics Icon [STAT]. The computer will find the average (mean) value and the standard deviation. Recall that the average value provides the best estimate of the “true value” of the quantity, while the standard deviation is the uncertainty − the spread in the measured values around the average due to the experimental errors.
The averaging procedure smoothes out the up and down fluctuations in the measured a(t). There are several sources of experimental errors that cause the acceleration of the glider to fluctuate over time. These errors include a bumpy track, dirt on track, a bent glider, dirt on glider, surface friction, air friction, and the fact that the motion sensor approximates the continuity of motion − the smooth flow of time − by collecting and analyzing data in discrete time steps.
Average ± Uncertainty: a = ________________ ± ________________ m/s^2.
Linear Analysis of v(t)
The acceleration of the glider is equal to the slope of the v(t) line. Select the good-data region of your v(t) graph. Click on the Curve-Fit Icon [f(x)=?] and perform a “Linear Fit” to find the best-fit line through the v-t data points. The computer will give the equation of the line as y = mx + b, which in velocity-time language is v = at + vo. The slope of the best-fit line gives the “best value” of a.
Equation of Best-Fit v(t) Line: v(t) = ___________________________________.
Slope of Best-Fit v(t) Line: a = _______________ m/s^2.
Quadratic Analysis of x(t) (Optional Extra Credit)
Equation of Best Fit x(t) Curve: x(t) = _________________________________________.
“a-Parameter” of Best-Fit x(t) Curve: a = _______________m/s^2.
A. Experimental Test of the Squared Relation d ∼∼∼∼ t^2
In theory, the worldline of the glider is a parabola. Hence the distance d traversed by the glider along the track is proportional to the square of the time elapsed (after starting from rest). This means that if you double the time, t→2t, then the distance will quadruple, d→4d. More specifically, if it takes time t 1 to move distance d 1 and time t 2 to move distance d 2 , then the proportionality d ∼ t^2 implies the following equality of ratios: d 2 /d 1 = (t 2 /t 1 )^2. This ratio relation says if t 2 = 2t 1 , then d 2 = 4d 1.
Tilt the track by placing two blocks under the end of the track. Use a stopwatch − not the motion sensor − to measure the time it takes the glider, starting from rest, to move a distance of 25 cm down the track. Repeat three more times to find an average time. Next measure the time it takes to move a distance of 100 cm. Record your measured times in the following table:
Average Time
t (d = 25 cm) (s)
t (d=100 cm) (s)
Are your experimental results consistent with the theoretical relation d ∼ t^2? Explain carefully by constructing ratios.
Calculate the value of the acceleration a = g(diluted) of the glider along the track direction from your measured values of d and t. Show your calculation.
For d = 25 cm , a = _______________ m/s^2.
For d = 100 cm , a = _______________ m/s^2.
B. Experimental Test of v^2 ∼∼∼∼ H
Physics Fact: The speed v of an object, starting from rest and falling down the frictionless surface of an inclined plane, depends only on the vertical height H of the fall and not the length of the incline. Furthermore, the square of the velocity is proportional to the height: v^2 ∼ H. This squared relation implies that the speed will double if the height quadruples.
Since you are testing the proportionality, v^2 ∼ H , and not the equality v^2 = 2gH , you only need to study how v depends on the number of blocks that you stack vertically to elevate the track. The height H can be measured in dimensionless units, simply as the “number of blocks”.
Place one block (H = 1) under the motion-sensor end of the track. Position the glider at the point that is 20 cm away from the sensor. Release the glider from rest and measure its velocity v (using the sensor) when it is 100 cm away from the sensor. Repeat three more times to find an average velocity. Now quadruple the height by placing four blocks (H = 4) under the end. Once again, release the glider at 20 cm and measure its velocity at 100 cm.
Average Velocity
v (H = 1) (cm/s)
v (H = 4) (cm/s)
Do your experimental results support the theoretical relation v^2 ∼ H? Explain carefully by constructing ratios.
2v
4H
H v
cm/s^2
a 1
a^ a 12
a 3
Now you can rigorously answer the important question: Do your measured values of a provide an experimental proof of the deep principle that the acceleration of gravity is independent of mass? Justify your answer by plotting your three values of a on the following range diagram:
Comments:
Einstein , Curved Space , Black Holes , Warp Drive
In a gravitational field, all bodies fall with the same acceleration. We have said this is a deep law of nature. Indeed, Einstein used this law as the basis for his general theory of relativity. All bodies fall in the same way because they are merely “coasting along” the same “downhill” contours of the curved space that they happen to occupy. Einstein’s field equations tell you precisely how to calculate the curvature of four-dimensional space-time. Gravity is not a force – it is the shape of space. The idea that “gravity is curvature” is the basis for bending light, gravity waves, black holes, and wormholes.
In essence, your experimental proof that “g is independent of m” is a proof of the existence of black holes and gravity waves! When warp drive is invented, you will appreciate that it is a consequence of the universality of g.
Part III. Designing a Diluted-Gravity System
In vertical free fall, an object released from rest moves about 45 m in 3.0 s. You need to slow this motion – dilute gravity – so that the object only moves 1.5 m in 3.0 s. Your goal is to find how much the track needs to be tilted to achieve this slowed-down motion. First work out the theory and then perform the experiment.
Theory
Architecture Diagram. H = height of blocks. L = distance between track legs. θ = angle of incline.
Acceleration Diagram. g = full strength gravity. a = diluted gravity.
Three Step Solution
- Measure the length L between the “legs” of the track (see architecture diagram). Note: L ≠ length of whole track.
L = _______________ m.
- Calculate the acceleration that the glider must have in order to satisfy the Design Specs: “glider released from rest and moves 1.5 m in 3.0 s”.
a = _______________ m/s^2.
θ
θ
g
H
track
leg
blocks table
glider
θ
L
a
leg
