ATAR Notes: Forum

Archived Discussion => 2009 => Mid-year exams => Exam Discussion => Victoria => Physics => Topic started by: Voltman on September 01, 2009, 12:06:54 pm

Title: Experiments/practicals involving motion?
Post by: Voltman on September 01, 2009, 12:06:54 pm

Hey, does anyone know of any good practicals that can be done for physics at school, particularly something involving motion?

Title: Re: Experiments/practicals involving motion?
Post by: appianway on October 02, 2009, 10:30:25 am

Here are some pretty basic ideas:

+Anything using energy conservation (looking at the efficiency of an energy transfer in a collision, for example.. with basketballs, running shoes)
+Elastic properties of substances at different temperatures
+Air resistance and terminal velocity
+Testing Newton's 3 Laws (and the kinematics laws)
+Rolling carts (one with wheels, one without) down inclines (choose a surface with little friction, such as ice) and comparing the final velocity (pretty easy to predict, but you may as well test it)
+Releasing a mass attached to a spring and observing the point at which the mass moves with the greatest velocity (also relatively easy to predict, but the potential for great experimental error)

Title: Re: Experiments/practicals involving motion?
Post by: dcc on October 06, 2009, 12:03:42 am

Pendulum is pretty interesting, but you have to make approximations.