Hi, I had to do a lab in physics about a glider on an air track and had to see h

Question

Hi, I had to do a lab in physics about a glider on an air track and had to see how mass effects the glider. I need help with a couple of questions on the lab. Here they are

1. How does mass affect relationship between h and v^2?

I answered that mass does not affect the relationship between h and v^2 because it is cancelled out in the energy equation.

2. What physical property does the slope of the h versus v^2 graph represent? Explain. Is the slope positive or negative?

Not sure I need help with this one.

3. What physical property does the vertical intercept represent?

Need help with this one too.

Thank you for your time and help!

Explanation / Answer

The first question you are right. The expression to use it's the following:

Em = mgH + 1/2mV2 but Em = 0 so:

-mgH = 1/2mV2

The mass it is cancelled out as you say so and we have:

-gH = V2/2

Now, the second question:

If you know solve for H, you'll have the following:

-H = V2/2g

H = -V2/2g

From here, and from the slope equation, you can actually say this:

H = (-1/2g)V2

Therefore, the slope represents the inverse of the acceleration of gravity and it's negative.

3. According to the equation you may say that it does not represent any physical property, however, I would like to say that it's represent the distance recorred for the air track. I can assume this because if you look the above equation, and cancel the units you'll have the following:

[H] = [1/m/s2] [m2/S2] m cancels with one m of m2, ans s2 cancels out with the other s2. So the unit of Height is meters (m).

So the only explanation to that number of the vertical intercept, would be the distance (that it's in meters too) recorred of the glider.

Anything else, you may tell me in a comment and fix (or explain again) anything.

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