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Box Elder High School Mechanical Physics Home

Crash Test Lab

You know you have completed this activity when you have done the following-
-You have performed the lab
-You have emailed me the LoggerPro file with any additional files if needed.


Introduction: Seatbelts have been installed in automobiles since Ford first installed them in their 1956 models. Seatbelts are designed to ensure that the passenger is part of the car and not just riding in the car. In an accident passengers that are not restrained in a seatbelt will continue in motion until they come into contact with something to stop them, like a steering wheel or dashboard. Restrained passengers will remain in their seats and will become part of the car system. This gives the passenger a greater chance of survival in an accident. In this lab we will be simulating crash tests with unrestrained passengers to observe Newton's first law in action. More information on seatbelts

Instructions:

You will need the following items. Some sort of incline plane (a board), some play dough (any dough will do, or even a leafy taffy will do, anything that you can form and is somewhat sticky), a toy car, a barrier, a ruler (or you can use the measure function in LoggerPro), a video camera, and LoggerPro.

You will set up the apparatus as shown in the video

Once you have the lab set up you will do an experiment where you change the elevation of your inclined plane. You will then roll the car down the plane with the dummy stuck to the hood.. When the car hits the barrier the dummy should continue forward. Your job is to measure the distance that the dummy travels from the end of the ramp. Record your observations for at least three different trials at three different heights and find the average for each height. Turn in a formal laboratory report using this template. For full credit you will need to record one of your trials and use video analysis to find the acceleration of the car, the deceleration of the clay figure, and the distance that the figure traveled. Turn in both the report and the LoggerPro file in the same email. If you do not want to video tape your own you may use this video. The length of the ramp is .78 meters.

Assignment-

You will need to turn in the following items.

  • Formal lab report using the above template. Include your graphed data and a solid conclusion.
  • LoggerPro file including video and data.

 

 

Tom Davidson, Box Elder High School, Brigham City Utah _
__________________________________Email: davidsonsummerschool@gmail.com