Motion Lab

        For this lab we used a motion sensor. We did a number of procedures which required us to walk forwards and backwards in front of the motion sensor. 

For the 1st test we walked away from the motion sensor to a distance of 1 meter. I predicted that the graph would show a negative slope (velocity) but this is what actually happened:

As you can see, my prediction was incorrect because a positive velocity was graphed.

        Next my group tried matching a graph. This is how close we got:

To get this result we had to wait, then walk backwards, then wait again to show that there was a 0 slope followed by a positive slope.

        The differences between those two graphs are that the 2nd graph has a change in velocity, whereas the 1st graph has more of a continual slope. 

       Next I predicted that if you walked towards the motion sensor, the slope would be negative. The test supported my prediction.

        When my group and I started from farther away from the motion sensor and walked backwards faster, the slope was more constant with a few peaks and dips here and there. As shown in the graph below. 

        For the next test we had to match a graph. This is the best my group could do:

        The difference between those two graphs is that the 1st one was more constant and the 2nd was was impossible for us to match. We found it hard because Graph 2 had a steady velocity, then it spiked up, and then it stopped again. To get as close as we did, we had to wait, then walk, and then wait again, but it still wasn't anything near the original. The lines are different because the 1st graph had a less dramatic spike in velocity and the 2nd graph was all over the place.

        Velocity is a vector quantity tat refers to "the rate at which an object changes it's position."

        The acceleration vs. time graph differs from other graphs because it measures the rate of change in acceleration. Acceleration is the rate at which an object changes it's velocity. Here is an example of an acceleration vs. time graph in comparison to the other graphs: 

        In conclusion, this lab taught me different ways to graph motion and the physics of simply walking forwards or backwards.