A student carried out an experiment to measure the velocity of an object - Leaving Cert Physics - Question 1 - 2022

On the diagram, mark the distance measured as the length of the ride or the distance travelled by the car/rider. This should be clearly labeled.

The student measured the time using an electronic timer linked to a light gate. When the car or rider passes through the light gate, the timer starts counting and stops when the next gate is triggered, allowing for accurate time measurement over the distance.

The formula used to calculate the velocity (v) is given by: $v = \frac{s}{t}$ where:

• $s$ is the distance travelled
• $t$ is the time taken.

The student changed the slope of the runway to allow for easier acceleration of the car/rider. Additionally, a second light gate may have been added for more accurate timing of acceleration.

The student took measurements of the distances travelled and the times recorded by the timers at different intervals to calculate the change in velocity over time.

The student used the formula for acceleration: $a = \frac{(v - u)}{t}$ where:

• $v$ is the final velocity
• $u$ is the initial velocity
• $t$ is the time taken for the change in velocity. The student would substitute the values of distances and times collected to compute the acceleration.

To improve the accuracy of the experiments, the student could:

1. Polish the surfaces of the runway to minimize friction.
2. Remove air from the environment or change the experiment setup to avoid errors due to parallax.