Describing Motion and Measuring Speed A Straw Rocket Lab Background: An object is in motion when its distance from another object is changing. Whether an object is moving or not depends on your point of view. For example, a woman riding on a bus is not moving in relation to the seat she is sitting on, but she is moving in relation to the buildings the bus passes. A reference point is a place or object used for comparison to determine if something is in motion. An object is in motion if it changes position relative to a reference point. You assume that the reference point is stationary, or not moving. If you know the distance an object travels in a certain amount of time, you can calculate the speed of the object. The speed of an object is the distance the object travels in one unit of time. To calculate the speed of an object, divide the distance the object travels by the amount of time it takes to travel that distance. When an object travels at a constant speed, its speed at any moment during its motion is the same as it is at every other moment. Most objects do not move at constant speeds. To find the average speed of an object, divide the total distance traveled by the total time. An object s instantaneous speed is the rate it is moving at a given instant You can show the motion of an object on a line graph in which you plot distance versus time. A straight line represents motion at a constant speed. The steepness of the line s slope depends on the speed of the object. A horizontal line represents an object that is not moving at all. Problem: What affect does the force of launch have on the average speed of a straw rocket? Materials straw rocket, rocket launcher, stopwatches, calculator Procedure. Set up your straw rocket launcher.. Set the rocket launcher at 0 degrees and use lines of force.. Launch times. Measure the time ( people) and distance of each launch. 4. Record your data in the data table 5. Repeat this procedure for 4, 5, 6 and 7 lines of energy. 6. Complete data table 7. Graph the data 8. Answer the questions
Describing Motion and Measuring Speed A Straw Rocket Lab Background: An object is in when its distance from another object is changing. Whether an object is moving or not depends on. For example, a woman riding on a bus is not moving in relation to the seat she is sitting on, but she is moving in relation to the buildings the bus passes. A is a place or object used for comparison to determine if something is in motion. An object is in if it changes position relative to a reference point. You assume that the reference point is stationary, or not moving. If you know the distance an object travels in a certain amount of time, you can calculate the speed of the object. The of an object is the distance the object travels in one unit of time. To calculate the speed of an object, divide the distance the object travels by the amount of time it takes to travel that distance. When an object travels at a constant speed, its speed at any moment during its motion is the same as it is at every other moment. Most objects do not move at constant speeds. To find the of an object, divide the total distance traveled by the total time. An object s is the rate it is moving at a given instant You can show the motion of an object on a in which you plot distance versus time. A straight line represents motion at a constant speed. The steepness of the line s depends on the speed of the object. A represents an object that is not moving at all. Problem: What affect does the force of launch have on the average speed of a straw rocket? Materials straw rocket, rocket launcher, stopwatches, calculator Procedure. Set up your straw rocket launcher.. Set the rocket launcher at 0 degrees and use lines of force.. Launch times. Measure the time ( people) and distance of each launch. 4. Record your data in the data table 5. Repeat this procedure for 4, 5, 6 and 7 lines of energy. 6. Complete data table 7. Graph the data and answer the questions
Data Table One Lines of force Trial Number Time (sec) Watch Time (sec) Watch Distance (meters) lines 4 lines 5 lines 6 lines 7 lines
Describing Motion and Measuring Speed A Straw Rocket Lab Answer Sheet Lines of force Distance Time Stop Watch Data Table Two Average Speed Distance Time Stop Watch Average Speed table ) table ) distance time table ) table ) distance time 4 5 6 7 Questions:. What are the stationary objects used to detect motion called?. What reference points did you use to detect the motion of the straw rockets?. What controls did we set up in our investigation? 4. What variable were we testing?
5. What was our sample size at each energy level? 6. How do you calculate speed? 7. Was there any relationship between the lines of force and the speed of the rocket? Explain. 8. On a graph, plot the speed of the straw rocket (on the y-axis) against the launch energy (on the x-axis). Connect the points on your graph. Use the space on the back of this sheet to make your graph. You will make two lines one for the average speed of stop watch and one line a (different color) for the average speed of stopwatch.
9. What does the shape of your graph show about the relationship between the launch energy and the rocket s speed? 0. What is the difference between average speed and instantaneous speed? OAA Review of Kinetic and Potential Energy Draw a picture of one of your launches below. Use dotted lines to show the path of your rocket.. Put a on your diagram showing the highest point of potential energy. Put a on your diagram showing the lowest point of potential energy.. Put a on your diagram showing the highest point of kinetic energy. Put a on your diagram showing the lowest point of kinetic energy