Persistence of Motion (air track), 1F30.10

Topic and Concept:

Newton's First Law, [:Newtons1STLaw#InertiaofMotion: 1F30. Inertia of Motion]

Location:

Floor Item: ME, South Wall

attachment: photo

Abstract:

A cart on a low-friction air track is given a velocity which remains roughly constant as per Newton's first law.

Equipment	Location	ID Number

Air Track	Floor Item: ME, South Wall
Air Gliders	ME, Bay A4, Shelf #2
Air Hose	ME, Bay B1, Shelf #2

Important Setup Notes:

This demonstration requires a supply of compressed air.

Setup and Procedure:

Place air track on lecture bench.
Level the track using the set screws on each leg.
Connect the track to the air supply using the air hose.
Place air glider on track.
Let the air flow into the track by opening the supply valve.
Give the air glider a push to give it an initial velocity.

Cautions, Warnings, or Safety Concerns:

Discussion:

The kinematic version of Newton's first law says that a body in motion tends to stay in motion moving in a straight line unless acted upon by a force. This is exactly what is happening here. The glider is given an initial velocity being accelerated by the lecturer's hand. Upon release, the glider maintains its final velocity. The air track provides a low-friction surface for the glider to move on so not much energy can be lost as heat. Thus the speed will remain roughly constant. The direction will change, however. The velocity will switch between v₀ and -v₀ each time it hits a bumper in an elastic collision whereby the direction of its momentum is reversed.

attachment other photos

Videos:

[https://www.youtube.com/user/LectureDemostrations/videos?view=1 Lecture Demonstration's Youtube Channel]

References:

[:Instructional:Home]

-  ⇤ ← Revision 1 as of 2012-06-28 22:04:19 → 
  Size: 1657
  Editor: srnarf
  Comment:
+   ← Revision 2 as of 2012-07-11 20:16:43 → ⇥
  Size: 2370
  Editor: srnarf
  Comment:
-Deletions are marked like this.
+Additions are marked like this.
 Line 4:
-= Constant Velocity Glider on Air Track, 1C10.27 =
+= Persistence of Motion (air track), 1F30.10 =
 Line 7:
-  Motion in One Dimension, [:MotionIn1D#Velocity: 1C10. Velocity]
+  Newton's First Law, [:Newtons1STLaw#InertiaofMotion: 1F30. Inertia of Motion]
 Line 10:
- * '''Cabinet:''' [:MechanicsCabinet:Mechanic (ME)]
 * '''Bay:''' [:MechanicsCabinetBayA1:(A1)]
 * '''Shelf:''' #1,2,3..
+ * Floor Item: ME, South Wall
-Line 14:
+Line 12:
- attachment: mainPhoto
+attachment: photo
-Line 18:
+Line 16:
-A glider on a level air track is pushed giving it a velocity which remains roughly constant on the low-friction surface. A timer together with a known displacement can be used to measure the velocity.
+A cart on a low-friction air track is given a velocity which remains roughly constant as per Newton's first law.
-Line 22:
+Line 20:
-||Air Track||ME, Bay B1, Shelf #2|| ||
||Glider||ME, Bay B1, Shelf #2|| ||
||PASCO Sensor||ME, Bay B1, Shelf #2|| ||
+||Air Track||Floor Item: ME, South Wall|| ||
||Air Gliders||ME, Bay A4, Shelf #2|| ||
||Air Hose||ME, Bay B1, Shelf #2|| ||
-Line 28:
+Line 25:
- *  '''''  '''''
+ *  This demonstration requires a supply of compressed air.
-Line 33:
+Line 30:
-. List steps for setup then procedure.
 1. ...
+. Place air track on lecture bench.
 1. Level the track using the set screws on each leg.
 1. Connect the track to the air supply using the air hose.
 1. Place air glider on track.
 1. Let the air flow into the track by opening the supply valve.
 1. Give the air glider a push to give it an initial velocity.
-Line 37:
+Line 38:
- *
+ * N/A
-Line 42:
+Line 43:
-Discuss the physics behind the demonstration, explaining some of the various steps of the demonstration when appropriate.
+The kinematic version of Newton's first law says that a body in motion tends to stay in motion moving in a straight line unless acted upon by a force. This is exactly what is happening here. The glider is given an initial velocity being accelerated by the lecturer's hand. Upon release, the glider maintains its final velocity. The air track provides a low-friction surface for the glider to move on so not much energy can be lost as heat. Thus the speed will remain roughly constant. The direction will change, however. The velocity will switch between '''v,,0,,''' and -'''v,,0,,''' each time it hits a bumper in an elastic collision whereby the direction of its momentum is reversed.
-Line 44:
+Line 45:
-||attachment: photo||attachment: photo||attachment: photo||attachment: photo||
+||attachment other photos||attachment other photos||attachment other photos||attachment other photos||
-Line 51:
+Line 52:
- * List any references
+ * N/A

fw: Diff for "VelocityAirTrack"

Persistence of Motion (air track), 1F30.10