Measuring Speed Flashcards
All 4 cards in this deck
What are the steps in a laboratory method for finding the speed of an object?
e.g. a toy car at the bottom of a slope- Measure a relevant distance (e.g. along the bench)
- Measure the time taken for that distance (stopwatch or light gate)
- Use speed = distance ÷ time, repeating and averaging
How does a light gate measure the speed of a moving object?
It times how long a card on the object blocks the beam; speed = length of card ÷ time.
Why does a light gate or electronic timer give a more accurate speed than a hand-held stopwatch?
It eliminates (human) reaction time.
Apart from using an electronic timer, give two ways to improve a stopwatch method for timing a falling ball.
Increase the drop height to reduce the effect of reaction time; repeat the measurement and average.