It has two flags, each exactly 25.4 mm long, with the midpoints of the flags separated by 162 mm. The first flag interrupts the photogate timer for a time 50 ms, and the second flag interrupts the photogate timer for a time 45 ms.
1) What was the average velocity of the glider when the first flag was interrupted?
2) What was the average velocity of the glider when the second flag was interrupted?
3) Approximately how much time elapsed between the passage of the first flag and the passage of the second flag?
4) Calculate the approximate acceleration of the glider.
To solve these problems, we can use the formula:
Average velocity (v) = distance (d) / time (t)
1) To find the average velocity when the first flag was interrupted:
- Distance (d) covered by the glider when the first flag interrupts = 25.4 mm
- Time (t) taken for the first flag to interrupt the photogate timer = 50 ms
Average velocity (v1) = 25.4 mm / 50 ms
2) To find the average velocity when the second flag was interrupted:
- Distance (d) covered by the glider when the second flag interrupts = 25.4 mm
- Time (t) taken for the second flag to interrupt the photogate timer = 45 ms
Average velocity (v2) = 25.4 mm / 45 ms
3) The time elapsed between the passage of the first flag and the passage of the second flag is the difference in their interrupt times:
- Time taken for the second flag to interrupt (t2) = 45 ms
- Time taken for the first flag to interrupt (t1) = 50 ms
Time elapsed (t3) = t2 - t1
4) To calculate the approximate acceleration of the glider, we can use the formula:
Acceleration (a) = (Change in velocity) / (Change in time)
To find the change in velocity, we can subtract the average velocity when the first flag was interrupted (v1) from the average velocity when the second flag was interrupted (v2).
Change in velocity (Δv) = v2 - v1
Then, we can find the change in time by subtracting the time taken for the first flag to interrupt (t1) from the time taken for the second flag to interrupt (t2).
Change in time (Δt) = t2 - t1
Approximate acceleration (a) = Δv / Δt
Note: Make sure to convert the distance and time to consistent units before calculating the average velocity and acceleration, e.g., from mm to meters and from ms to seconds.
To answer these questions, we can use the formulas relating time, distance, velocity, and acceleration. I'll guide you through the steps to find the solutions.
1) Average velocity of the glider when the first flag was interrupted:
Average velocity is given by the formula: velocity = distance/time.
Given:
Length of each flag = 25.4 mm = 0.0254 m
Separation between midpoints of the flags = 162 mm = 0.162 m
Time for which the first flag interrupts the photogate timer = 50 ms = 0.05 s
To find the distance covered by the glider, we subtract half the length of the flag from the separation distance:
Distance = Separation distance - (0.5 * Flag length)
Distance = 0.162 m - (0.5 * 0.0254 m)
Now we can calculate the average velocity:
Velocity = Distance / Time
2) Average velocity of the glider when the second flag was interrupted:
We follow a similar process as above, but this time we use the time for the second flag interrupting the timer, which is 45 ms = 0.045 s.
3) Approximate time elapsed between the passage of the first flag and the second flag:
We already know the time for each flag interrupting the timer. To find the time elapsed between the two flags, we simply subtract the two times.
Time elapsed = Time of the second flag interrupting - Time of the first flag interrupting
4) Approximate acceleration of the glider:
Acceleration is given by the formula: acceleration = (Change in velocity) / (Time).
To find the change in velocity of the glider, we subtract the average velocity of the first flag interruption from the average velocity of the second flag interruption.
Change in velocity = Average velocity of the second flag interruption - Average velocity of the first flag interruption
Finally, we can calculate the approximate acceleration of the glider using the above formula.