Challenge: Impulse Lab
Lab Partner: Bruce Herman
Date: February 5, 2015
Lab Partner: Bruce Herman
Date: February 5, 2015
The Objective:
Using a variety of different kinds of springs, each individual in our groups are to use a force & motion sensor to measure a cart's velocity and impulse by using the many methods on DataStudio. After getting the mass (using a scale), we then had to use our equation to see if our result is correct.
The Process:
Behind the main idea of the experiment is the idea of the equation F ⋅ Δt = m ⋅ Δv Knowing the idea of impulse, we then set up the lab. I used the light spring, which had the smaller k-constant and therefore was the weaker spring. The results of pushing the cart against the spring were as follows below in the pictures.
Having the data means nothing if we can not use it. Though the velocity was quite easy to get from finding the difference in the beginning and ending velocity in terms with the matching beginning & ending on the F ⋅ Δt graph, the actual value for the that particular part can be found by normal means. Using the summation tool in DataStudio, I was able to find the area under the graph, thus giving me F ⋅ Δt, and thus the actual impulse. Though for using the information in the graph above, I used the Trapezoidal Method to get my impulse and used that (graph result was used as basis). My true answer for impulse is 1.13 Ns. From the graph and scale, mass was found to be 1.615 kg and velocity 0.68 m/s. The work can be seen below:
So in-conclusion, the answer was quite close, proving that the law of impulse holds true. All-in-all, the lab was quite simple to do, with the exception of the magnetic spring being a pain to use for my first attempt (which made me switch to the light spring).