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Two students decide to determine the mean speed of cars passing outside their school - OCR Gateway - GCSE Physics - Question 23 - 2022 - Paper 1
Question 23
Two students decide to determine the mean speed of cars passing outside their school. (a) Describe how the students will take the measurements they need to be able ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Two students decide to determine the mean speed of cars passing outside their school - OCR Gateway - GCSE Physics - Question 23 - 2022 - Paper 1
Step 1
Describe how the students will take the measurements they need to be able to calculate the mean speed of a car.
Answer
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Select a location: The students should choose a suitable spot outside the school where a good number of cars pass by, ensuring that the area is safe.
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Use a stopwatch: One student should use a stopwatch to time how long it takes for a car to pass between two markers which are a known distance apart, such as two cones or poles.
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Measure the distance: Before starting, they should measure the exact distance between the two markers, recording this value accurately.
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Record multiple trials: To get a reliable mean speed, they should take measurements over several cars passing by, recording the time for each car to pass the distance.
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Calculate speed: Finally, they can calculate the speed of each car using the formula: speed = distance/time, where they will take the average of the speeds calculated.
Step 2
Which toy car, A or B, has the greater acceleration? Explain your answer.
Answer
Car: A
Reason: Car A has a steeper slope on the velocity-time graph compared to car B, which indicates a greater change in velocity over time. Since acceleration is defined as the change in velocity over the time taken, the steeper slope indicates that car A accelerates faster than car B.
Step 4
Suggest why it takes different amounts of time for them to reach their top speeds.
Answer
The difference in time for the two cars to reach their top speeds could be attributed to factors such as differences in motor power, gear ratios, or the weight distribution of the cars. Additionally, the design and aerodynamics of each car may impact how efficiently they accelerate.