Is it possible to accurately approximate the speed of a passing car while standing in the
protected front hall of the school?
Task: Determine how fast cars are passing the front of the school. You may only go
outside to measure the distance from where you are standing to the road. All
other measurements must be taken from inside the building (I want you to stay
warm and dry!). Make sure to clearly explain your process to gauge the speed of
passing cars and submit all of your work!
It must be possible... because that is how a radar detector works : )
Think about what the teacher has allowed you to measure and what you know about the speed formula : )
I think I would use a angle measure with the eye to find some point on the road, and the perpendicular. Knowing the distance of the perpendicular, and the angle, and measuring the time it takes the car to move one the road. you have speed.
Distance on road=distance to road*tanAngle
speed= distanceonroad/time=distancetoroad*tanAngle/time
Yes, it is possible to approximate the speed of a passing car while standing in the protected front hall of the school. Here's how you can do it:
1. Measure the distance from where you are standing in the front hall to the road. You can use a measuring tape or any other measuring tool to get an accurate measurement.
2. Choose a fixed point on the road, such as a specific line or marking, that is easily visible from the front hall. This will be your reference point.
3. Time how long it takes for a passing car to cross that reference point. You can use a stopwatch or the timer on your phone. Start the timer as soon as the front of the car reaches the reference point, and stop the timer as soon as the back of the car passes the reference point.
4. Repeat this process for several different cars to ensure accuracy. Ideally, you should measure the speed of at least 5-10 different cars.
5. Calculate the average time it takes for the cars to cross the reference point. Add up all the individual times and divide by the number of cars you measured.
6. Now, using the distance you measured earlier and the average time it takes for a car to cross the reference point, you can calculate the approximate speed of the passing cars. The formula to calculate speed is: speed = distance / time.
For example, let's say the distance from the front hall to the road is 50 meters. If the average time it takes for a car to cross the reference point is 4 seconds, then the speed of the car would be 50 meters / 4 seconds = 12.5 meters per second.
Remember that this is just an approximation as the speed of the car may vary slightly due to factors like acceleration or deceleration. However, this method should give you a fairly accurate estimate of the speed of passing cars while staying warm and dry inside the building.