Today you will be exploring some key concepts on Acceleration. You will be going to another website to complete this.
Follow the next instructions.
1. Read the following as an introduction to this lab, it gives a brief intro to acceleration, and review to speed and velocity. Write down at least 2 things you took away from this aboutAcceleration.
Imagine that you're in a car traveling at a high speed and accelerating quickly. You're heading directly toward a brick wall, and you continue to accelerate until you reach that wall. Sounds like you're in a heap of trouble, doesn't it? Not necessarily. When we hear the word acceleration, we usually assume it means "increasing in speed." In many cases, that's exactly right. But in physics, acceleration is defined as "a rate of change of velocity." This change can be either an increase or a decrease in speed, or a change in direction. In the example given here, acceleration refers to a decrease in speed, so the car decelerates as it approaches the brick wall, slowing down until it gently bumps into it.
Just as acceleration has a precise meaning in physics, so do the terms speed and velocity. While it's perfectly acceptable at times to use the two terms interchangeably, each can have its own distinct meaning. Speed is defined as the rate of motion and is calculated by dividing the distance an object travels by the time it takes to travel that distance. Velocity, on the other hand, is a vector quantity -- a measurement of both the rate of motion (i.e., speed) plus direction. In other words, ten kilometers per hour is speed; east at 10 kilometers per hour is velocity.
Speed, velocity, and acceleration are sometimes depicted graphically. A graph illustrating time vs. speed, for example, provides a record of how the speed of an object changes over time. From such a graph, it's also possible to see whether an object is traveling at a constant rate or accelerating: A line parallel to the time axis isn't changing its speed, while one that's slanted is.
Another way to depict motion graphically is with arrows. Remember we said that velocity is a vector quantity? Another fact to know is that vector quantities can be described by both magnitude and direction. To represent velocity, an arrow's length can show the speed at which an object is traveling (magnitude, or the rate of acceleration), and its orientation can show the object's direction. Acceleration, which is described by a magnitude and a direction, is itself a vector quantity. (Force and distance are two other vector quantities.)
It's possible for an object to be moving at a constant speed and be accelerating at the same time. Take as an example a car driving in a circle at 30 kilometers per hour. Although its speed is constant, its velocity is continually changing because its direction is continually changing as well. This change of direction results in an acceleration toward the center of the circle. Likewise, a satellite in circular orbit around Earth is traveling at a constant speed and accelerating toward Earth's center.
2. Next you will be going to the link below and you will examine and recreate the graph that is in the bottom right.
What are the independent and dependent variables?
https://contrib.pbslearningmedia.org/WGBH/conv20/phy03-int-accel/index.html(Links to an external site.)
3. Now you are going to gradually increase the cars speed. Starting with 0 and going up by 10s... so 0. 10, 20, 30...etc. Try to wait at least 3 seconds before going up in speed (YOU CAN SEE HOW MANY SECONDS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GRAPH). Watch the graph to the bottom right and try to describe what is happening.
What do you notice on the graph/line as you increase the speed?
If you let the car stay at a certain speed for a little bit what happens to the graph/line now?
Try to graph what you are seeing, so you should have lines on your graph at speed 10, 20,30,40,50
It should look something similar to this but with way more lines.
4. Now keeping your car at 50 mph, I want you to gradually slow it down by 10s again. Record on your graph what is happening by adding lines as it slows down.
Observe the graph, what do you notice as it slows down?
What happens to the graph when it reaches 0?
5.
In your own words how would you describe/label parts of the graph? You may label your graph here
What is happening at the parts where there is a flattening of the lines?
What is happening when the lines are going diagonal? Both diagonally up and diagonally down... how do you think you could describe those in terms of acceleration?
6.
What if the graph showed acceleration rather than speed? Where would the line be when the car was continuing at a constant speed of 40 mph in the same direction? Where would the line be if the speed were continually increasing? Decreasing?
7.
An object, such as a planet, circling another object, such as the Sun, at a constant speed is said to be accelerating. Explain why this motion is an example of acceleration.
8.
Did changing the direction of the car change the acceleration or the speed on the graph? How would you have to label the graph in order to tell someone which direction to go?