So we're doing a "challenge lab" in our physics class where we're trying to figure out when to release a mass in order to get it to fall directly into a moving (toy) car. I'm writing this late at night and just out of my memory, so I might need to supply more info later.
Here's the knowns:
Drop height: 75 cm
Toy car travel distance: 1.5m
Toy car mass: .50 kg (or 500g)
Gravity: 9.8 m/s/s
Time it takes for the toy car to travel 1.5m (I have it written down, but not with me, so we'll call this T for now)
The unknown:
This part I don't remember completely, but you guys should be able to help me out. So first, here's some background info: The challenge is to create a formula that, when given the mass, we'll be able to calculate how long after the car starts moving we should drop the mass in order for it to land perfectly in the car. To drop the mass, we're using a dynamic cart* to eliminate any error in the exact spot where the mass is dropped.
So the unknown variable in this equation is the mass. Here's the thing: The teacher gives us a random mass anywhere from 10-100g. I know we add this at the end of the string on the dynamic cart, in attempts to get the 1-100g mass to land in to the moving car. HOWEVER, I don't know if we're supposed to put that same mass amount on the dynamic cart as well (NOT the moving electric cart) to balance out the system mass, or something like that. My impression is that we only put the 1-100g mass at the end of the string on the dynamic cart.
Which equation should I use for this experiment? Or do I need to construct my own?
Thanks!
(I can supply more info upon request.)
*I'm not sure if a "dynamic cart" is a universal physics term, but its basically attached to a cart on a horizontal ramp parallel to the ground that has a string attached to it, which is placed on a pulley, and a mass at the end of the string. The pulley converts the tension from horizontal to vertical.
Here's a picture of a dynamic cart:
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbnid=qH29ejobrfmD5M:&imgrefurl=http://teacher.pas.rochester.edu/PhyInq/Experiments/P09/P09_A_of_Cart_1.html&docid=0ya2cynI2AOVnM&imgurl=http://teacher.pas.rochester.edu/PhyInq/Experiments/P09/P09_A_of_Cart_102.gif&w=466&h=178&ei=dHwST9yxJo7XiQKx6eGlDQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=335&sig=109123066949897470791&page=1&tbnh=71&tbnw=185&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0&tx=96&ty=31
Here's the knowns:
Drop height: 75 cm
Toy car travel distance: 1.5m
Toy car mass: .50 kg (or 500g)
Gravity: 9.8 m/s/s
Time it takes for the toy car to travel 1.5m (I have it written down, but not with me, so we'll call this T for now)
The unknown:
This part I don't remember completely, but you guys should be able to help me out. So first, here's some background info: The challenge is to create a formula that, when given the mass, we'll be able to calculate how long after the car starts moving we should drop the mass in order for it to land perfectly in the car. To drop the mass, we're using a dynamic cart* to eliminate any error in the exact spot where the mass is dropped.
So the unknown variable in this equation is the mass. Here's the thing: The teacher gives us a random mass anywhere from 10-100g. I know we add this at the end of the string on the dynamic cart, in attempts to get the 1-100g mass to land in to the moving car. HOWEVER, I don't know if we're supposed to put that same mass amount on the dynamic cart as well (NOT the moving electric cart) to balance out the system mass, or something like that. My impression is that we only put the 1-100g mass at the end of the string on the dynamic cart.
Which equation should I use for this experiment? Or do I need to construct my own?
Thanks!
(I can supply more info upon request.)
*I'm not sure if a "dynamic cart" is a universal physics term, but its basically attached to a cart on a horizontal ramp parallel to the ground that has a string attached to it, which is placed on a pulley, and a mass at the end of the string. The pulley converts the tension from horizontal to vertical.
Here's a picture of a dynamic cart:
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbnid=qH29ejobrfmD5M:&imgrefurl=http://teacher.pas.rochester.edu/PhyInq/Experiments/P09/P09_A_of_Cart_1.html&docid=0ya2cynI2AOVnM&imgurl=http://teacher.pas.rochester.edu/PhyInq/Experiments/P09/P09_A_of_Cart_102.gif&w=466&h=178&ei=dHwST9yxJo7XiQKx6eGlDQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=335&sig=109123066949897470791&page=1&tbnh=71&tbnw=185&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0&tx=96&ty=31