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Ticker Timer Activity

This document describes two experiments using a ticker timer to measure distance, speed, and acceleration. Experiment 1 involves measuring the distance and speed of ticker tape pulled through the timer. Experiment 2 attaches ticker tape to a trolley rolling down an inclined runway to measure changes in speed and calculate acceleration. Key steps include cutting ticker tape into five-space lengths and measuring the distances between pieces to determine speeds and acceleration from changes in speed over time.

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mhiw22
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2K views

Ticker Timer Activity

This document describes two experiments using a ticker timer to measure distance, speed, and acceleration. Experiment 1 involves measuring the distance and speed of ticker tape pulled through the timer. Experiment 2 attaches ticker tape to a trolley rolling down an inclined runway to measure changes in speed and calculate acceleration. Key steps include cutting ticker tape into five-space lengths and measuring the distances between pieces to determine speeds and acceleration from changes in speed over time.

Uploaded by

mhiw22
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DISTANCE, SPEED AND ACCELERATION USING A TICKER TIMER

Aim
These simple experiments will help you to learn
carbon
how to use the ticker timer to measure distance, paper
ticker tape
speed and acceleration. disc
magnet

power input (a.c.)


Experiment 1
This experiment is to measure the distance
traveled and the speed of a piece of ticker tape coil
using a ticker timer.


YOU WILL NEED:
A ticker timer, a 12V AC power supply, ticker tape,

two 4mm connecting leads and a pair of scissors. If
your ticker tape is not gummed you will also need vibrating bar

some glue.


WHAT TO DO:
Connect the timer to the power supply. Put a 1 m
length of tape under the carbon disc and switch on.
Pull the tape through steadily.
Cut the tape into FIVE SPACE lengths and stick
them into your books side by side as shown in the diagram. Measure the length of one of
your FIVE SPACE lengths and work out its speed.

Observations:
Length of tape = cm
Time to go through timer = 0.1 s
Speed of tape = cm/s

Repeat the experiment but this time pull the tape through the timer
more quickly.

Once again work out the speed of the tape.

The distance that the tape has traveled in the time that you pulled it through the ticker timer
is simply the distance between the first and last dots on the tape.

A sample set of ticker tape length is shown in the diagram. How do these pieces of tape
compare with your ticker tape?

Remember that you must measure FIVE SPACES and NOT 5 DOTS.
Experiment 2

YOU WILL NEED


In addition to the apparatus used in experiment 1 you will also need a runway, trolley and
blocks.

WHAT TO DO:
Set up the apparatus as shown in the diagram with the tape fixed to the trolley. Switch on the
ticker timer and let the trolley run down the slope.

timer
trolle
y
runway

mass

Cut your tape into 5 SPACE lengths and stick it in your books just like you did for experiment
one. This time make sure that you start with the shortest first and be careful to keep the
pieces in order.

Stick in eleven of these 5 SPACE pieces and work out the speed of the first and eleventh
piece.

Length of piece 1 = cm
Length of piece 11 = cm
Speed of piece 1 = cm/s
Speed of piece 11 = cm/s
Time between piece 1 and piece 11 = 1s
Acceleration of the trolley down the ramp = cm/s2

Your results for experiment 2 should look something like hose shown
in this diagram.

You can work out the acceleration from:

Acceleration = (Speed of piece 11 speed of piece 1)/1

If you cant get 11 pieces the try and get six. This will mean a time
difference of 0.6-0.1 = 0.5s.

In this case the acceleration of your trolley will be:

Acceleration = (Speed of piece 11 speed of piece 1)/0.5

Write up your experiments with diagrams.


QUESTIONS
1. What were the main sources of error in your experiments and how could you reduce
them?

2. The sample pieces of ticker tape shown in the diagram with experiment one are not all
quite the same length. What does this tell you about the speed with which the ticker tape was
pulled through the time?

3. How could you tell that the trolley in experiment two was accelerating steadily down the
ramp?

4. If you had used five dot lengths and not five space lengths what time interval would that
be?

5. The sections of ticker tape shown have been copied full size,. If the timer gave 50 space
per sec ond what is the:

(a) speed of the tape in diagram 1 and


(b) the acceleration of the tape in diagram 2?

Diagram 1
Diagram 2

6. The dots on the tape in diagram 1 are not all the same distance apart. What does that tell
you about that piece of tape?

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