Relationships between position, velocity, acceleration, and time are studied. This lab focuses on the one dimensional case where each quantity can be considered as a scalar. Acceleration is also taken to be constant.
Newton's 1st Law is investigated. The apparatus consists of a force table, and a set of movable pulleys with weights. String is attached to a small ring at the top of the table which is centered with a pin.
This experiment's purpose is to verify the concepts of potential energy and conservation of energyfor the the uniform gravitational field and for an ideal Hooke's Law spring.
In this experiment students measure the speed of a projectile by a kinematic method and also by the use of a ballistic pendulum. The latter method illustrates the use of conservation of energy and momentum.
This experiment investigates standing sound waves in a tube subject to different boundary conditions. One end of the tube is closed off with a small speaker. The other end is closed with a movable piston which can be used to change the length of the tube. Sinusoidal sound waves are produced by the speaker and detected by a small microphone in the tube. At resonant frequencies of the tube, the sound waves will be enhanced. In a second experiment, a pulse of sound is sent down the tube and then the reflected pulse is examined.
The relationship between torque, moment of inertia, and angular acceleration for a rigid body rotating about a fixed axis is investigated. Conservation of angular momentum is also examined.
Students measure the period of a revolving weight and use the information to calculate angular velocity and compare the centripetal force with the force of gravity.
In this experiment, free and forced oscillations of a string are studied. The free oscillations of a string fixed at both ends are investigated by driving the string very weakly with a force that varies sinusoidally with time. It will be assumed that the coupling is so weak that the free vibrations are unaffected by the driving force. The forced vibrations of a string fixed at one end and driven at the other end are also studied.
In this experiment, students determine the amount of work done, measure
the temperature ride of a drum, and calculate the amount of heat that would produce the same temperature rise.
