Lab Partners: Aditya Tipre, Adithya Kalyan, Tyler Frojmovich
Date: September 14th, 2021
How will Time affect the position of the buggy?
Independent Variable: Time
Dependent Variable: Position
Controls: The specific buggy used, Surroundings/environment, and the initial position
The controlling variables: For the timing of the Buggy we will always have the timer use a stopwatch that runs in seconds. In order to maintain consistency throughout the experiments for the position, we will use meter sticks and measure in centimeters traveled.
Developed Method for Collection of Data:
Tyler will always release the buggy to eliminate the margin of error in the initial position while Aditya uses the stopwatch to time the start and end of the selected time increment. Adithya will be the one to measure the distance traveled by the buggy in response to Aditya's signaling of the time being done to eliminate the possible margin of error by one person having a faster reaction time over another.
Procedure:
We measured the centimeters traveled by the buggy in a certain increment of time.
Ran three experiments for each time increment.
One second
Five seconds
Ten seconds
Fifteen seconds
Total of 12 Trials
Recorded Raw Data:
*Buggy Vehicle constant*
*Surroundings unchanged*
Initial Position - 0 centimeters
Time Increment | Distance Traveled (cm) Trial one | Distance Traveled (cm) Trial two | Distance Traveled (cm) Trial three |
One Second | 45 cm | 40 cm | 30 cm |
Five Seconds | 198 cm | 190 cm | 195 cm |
Ten Seconds | 375 cm | 390 cm | 395 cm |
Fifteen Seconds | 580 cm | 605 cm | 620 cm |
Processed Raw Data:
We processed the quantitative raw data correctly because we had a constant method that never change through the experiment. In order to produce one accurate data point, Tyler would release the buggy from the initial position as soon as Aditya would start the timer and as soon as that specific time increment was over, Aditya would signal to stop and Adithya would stop the buggy and record its position. One assumption we made is that Tyler was releasing the buggy on time, that Aditya was timing it correctly, and that Adithya stopped the buggy on time.
Presentation of Processed Data -
Time Increment(seconds) | Distance Traveled(cm) |
1 | 41 |
5 | 194.33 |
10 | 386.66 |
15 | 601.66 |
Equation of Line of Best fit x = 39.92t - 3.448
Slope Interpretation: The buggy moves 39.92 centimeters per second. The slope represents the velocity of the buggy.
Y- Intercept Interpretation: The position of the buggy at zero was -3.448 centimeters.
position = velocity * time elapsed+ initial position
Final Results
The evidence shows that for every second that passes, the buggy will move 39.92 centimeters forward. This shows how the passing of time affects the position of the buggy. The results of this lab can be generalized in other situations to declare that when a buggy is turned on, the relationship between the time and the position of the buggy is positive linear. We can also generalize in other situations that if we have the same buggy in use, the buggy will move approximately 39.92 centimeters per second assuming that the battery is at the same percentage and the floor provides the same amount of friction.
Conclusion
Time affects the position of the buggy through a relationship of positive linear association. The velocity of the buggy throughout the experiment is approximately 39.92 centimeters forward for every second and the initial position according to the graph is -3.448 but that logically does not make sense, the true initial position was 0 cm. We can also conclude that we have an accurate experiment considering that we had 12 trials and our range of data spans an area of nearly 150%. Through this experiment, I learned that the slope of our line represents the magnitude of the buggy with the sign representing the direction and the constant representing the magnitude. I also learned that the y-intercept of a function does not always represent the origin but rather represents the initial position. This lab greatly helped me in understanding the basic formulas of physics in a real-life situation and how small oddities can completely alter your experiment.
Evaluating Procedures
One weakness or limitation of this experiment is the accuracy of the measurements due to the reaction times of the releaser and the measurer compared to the timer. Another weakness of this experiment is the surroundings of the buggy during the course of this experiment. Since we only had a limited amount of space, we were only able to do measurements until 15 seconds, as any longer than that would cause the buggy to run into desks, chairs, and backpacks.
Improving the Investigation
One place for improvement in this investigation is the accuracy of the time measurements. If we used timers for each time increment instead of relying on Aditya's reaction times we would have a more stable basis for the start and stop of the buggy's ride. If we had the volume all the way up for the timer as well, then Adithya would have something to jar him into motion and stop the Buggy on time and take a more accurate measurement of how far the buggy traveled. Another way to fix this aspect of the investigation is by having Buggies or toy cars that go forward for as long as you want. For example, if we had a car that would go forward for exactly 5 seconds that would greatly help us in our timing because the measurement taker wouldn't have to stop the car but rather just see the point at which it had stopped.