A glider on an air track moves in the +x direction with a constant acceleration.

Question

A glider on an air track moves in the +x direction with a constant acceleration. It has two flags, each exactly 25.4 mm long, with the midpoints of the flags separated by 162 mm. The first flag interrupts the photogate timer for a time 50 ms, and the second flag interrupts the photogate timer for a time 45 ms. ------------- 1. What was the average velocity of the glider during the interval when the first flag was interrupted?------- 2. What was the average velocity of the glider during the interval when the second flag was interrupted?

Explanation / Answer

A glider on an air track moves in the +X direction with a constant acceleration. It has two flags, each exactly 25.4 mm long, with the midpoints of the flags separated by 162 mm. The first flag interrupts the photogate timer for a time 50 ms, and the second flag interrupts the photogate timer for a time 45 ms. You can use the time it takes to interrupt a flag to get an approximate value of instantaneous velocity at that time; Initial velocity = V(o) = 25.4/50 = .508 mm/ms final velocity = V = 25.4/45 = .564 mm/ms Between those velocities the cart moves 162 mm. So use kinematic eq to get accel. a = (V^2 - V(o)^2)/2x = (.318 - .258)/(2)(162) = .000185 mm/msms Then use another kinematics eq to get the elapsed time; t = (V - V(o))/a = (.564 - .508)/.000185 = 302.7 ms = .3 sec.

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