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You will use an air track to observe a motion with no friction (no waste of energy). Notice that the glider and photogates are sitting on the air track as shown in the picture below (Figure 1).

Figure 1. An air track.

1. Level the air track. In order to do so, launch the air track engine (the yellow box visible behind the glider in Figure 2) and place the glider on. Observe the glider. If it is moving, the track is not leveled. Use the adjustable leg or put a piece of paper under another one. Be precise and patient. This step is very important; the results of the experiment depend on how well you level the track.

2. Set the photogates' mode to "Photogate Timing" and the timing to "Gate". (if in doubt, you can check the Varnier Tutorial)

3. Mount the photogates on the air track. Place the first photogate ("start") in a position that will allow you to use the launcher. The "start" photogate will be in the same position, x₀, during the experiment. Place the second photogate (the "stop" one) close to the first one. You will move the second one to obtain different distances. Make sure, that the photogates are mounted high enough to allow the glider freely go through both of them.

3.

4. Install the rubber band launcher (Figure 4). The launcher is to keep the glider's speed the same (within the limits of error) for all measurements.

Both leveling the track and proper use of the launcher are critical in measuring uniform velocity.

Experimental Procedure

1. When the air track is set as shown in Figure 1, you can collect the data. Use the rubber band launcher to keep the glider's speed the same (within the limits of error) for all measurements (Figure 4). Note the second photogate position x₁ and calculate the distance d₁ = x₁ - x₀. Move the second photogate to the left and note x₂, then calculate d₂ = x₂ - x₀. Repeat.

2. Collect at least 30 data points (time t_i, distance d_i)

3. Record your data in the provided lab worksheet.