Glider on Air Track: Quantitative Observational Experiment

Aim

To determine how the position of three different gliders depend on the clock reading. (Notice that the air glider is used in this experiment, its interaction with the track is negligible.)

Prior Knowledge

none

Description of the Experiment

Observe the motion of the glider for each of the three experiments. Record the position of the glider frame by frame in a table. For each experiment, represent a glider with a dot (decide which part of the glider this dot will represent) and place the dots on the paper so that their positions represent the position of the glider at each frame. Use an arrow to show the direction of motion. Then plot a position-versus-time graph putting the data from three experiments on the same graph. Consider zero clock reading for each experiment to be the same. Describe the difference among the graphs and relate this difference to the difference in the glider's motions. Decide what type of motion the glider exhibits: motion with constant rate or motion with changing rate. Decide how you can describe the difference between the motion of the glider in each experiment. Describe the difference qualitatively as you see it in the dot diagrams and graphs. Invent a physical quantity that will describe the motion of the glider in each experiment.

Youtube movies can be stepped frame by frame using the , and . keys on your keyboard. If you want to download the movie to your computer, right-click or control-click HERE.

Questions

1. Describe (with words and/or picture) exactly how you took the data from the video.
2. What assumptions did you make about the glider in order to take data?
3. Decide what type of motion the glider shows for each of the three trials. Justify your answer using both the dot diagrams and the graph.
4. Compare the three experiments against each other. What is similar about them? What is different? Justify your answer using the dot diagrams and/or graph.
5. Represent the glider with a dot and its interactions with other objects with arrows. The tails of the arrows should start at the dot. Decide if this diagram is the same for different points during the glider's motion in one experiment. Is the diagram different for different experiments? Explain your answer. Make sure each arrow represents an interaction with a specific object. The only object that can interact with other objects at a distance is the Earth (as a planet). This diagram is called a free-body diagram.
6. What assumptions did you make about the glider and its interactions with other objects?
7. Use your free body diagram to explain how the motion of the glider is related to its interactions with other objects.