Kinematics 1: Speedometer Cubed Lab (Physics)

Question:
What is the speed of an object as determined by a:

• meter stick and a stopwatch
• ticker tape timer and a meter stick
• motion detector

How do the three methods of determining speed compare in terms of their accuracy and precision?

Purpose:
To determine the speed of an object using three different methods and to compare the accuracy and precision of the results of each method.

Common Core Standards:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.3
  Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text.
  

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.5
  Analyze the structure of the relationships among concepts in a text, including relationships among key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction force, energy).
  

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.6
  Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text, defining the question the author seeks to address.
  

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.7
  Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.
  

Materials 
Required:


• battery‐powered
 car
• 
meter
 stick
• 
stop watch 
or 
timing 
device

  
• ticker tape timer
• one meter of ticker tape
• carbon
 disc

• masking tape
• TI-84 graphing calculator w/EasyData

• LabPro®
• motion detector

Set Up:

• Motion Detector w/Lab Pro and TI-84
• Photogate w/Lab Pro and TI-84

Procedure:
Devise your own method for determining the speed of your car. 

• Keep the car on the floor.
• Perform several trials and record your data for each method.

Lab Report:
The work which is documented in a lab notebook should be clear enough that others can follow it, understand it and if necessary, repeat the experimental procedure so as to verify the results.  It is a public record which is documented with the expectation that others could understand it. The ability to thoroughly document and to keep clear, understandable records of one's work is a key skill that the professional scientist must develop.

The Data section should include an organized and labeled record of the measurements resulting from each of the three methods of measuring speed – stopwatch and meter stick method, ticker tape and meter stick method, and LabPro motion detector method. Both measured and calculated data should be listed; work should be shown. The Conclusion/Discussion should identify the speed values determined from each method. An error analysis should be performed; the accuracy and precision of each method should be compared; reasons for such conclusions should be explained.

Your lab report will include the following

• Title: on the front cover of your lab notebook and on the top of page 1
• Purpose / Objective: states the purpose of the lab
• Apparatus: list of materials used in the lab
• Setup: a diagram of the setup
• Procedure: the steps to recreate the lab
• Data: clear and organized measurements made during the lab

• Calculations: provide calculations in a neat and orderly outline form

• Conclusion: completely answer the question using complete sentences

• Discussion of Results: explanation of how the collected data provides support for the statement found in the conclusion; include an error analysis comparing your group's result to the class average

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