Speed Of A Car

The Speed between Two Points

Aim: To find the average speed of a model car on a given slope.

Theory: Average speed is found by dividing the distance the car travels by the time it takes to travel that distance, as shown by the following formula.

(1)

Where v is the average velocity, d is the distance travelled, and t is the time taken.

Apparatus:

- Given length of Hot Wheels track.

- A Hot Wheels car

- A meter stick

- A stop watch

Figure 1: Setup of Equipment.

Set up the equipment as shown in Figure 1. Use any available item to prop up one end of the track at any angle that allows the car to move smoothly. A possible source of Error is that the track may be uneven, to fix that, make the track even, or get a new track. This is a source of systematic error.

Method: We placed the car just before Point A on the track. One person took the stopwatch while the other person held the car in place. The person holding the car then counted "3, 2, 1 go". On go, the person with the stopwatch would start the time, and stop the time when the car passed point B. The time would then be recorded. Another source of potential error is the reaction time of the person measuring the time. This is statistical error,