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Newton's 2nd Law

by Mr D Brown

Pages 2 and 3 of 25

How do I use the light gates to measure acceleration?
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A guide for setting up the air track for Newton's Second Law
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The glider must pass through the final gate just before the hanger touches the ground
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Then slide the glider along the track until time mass holder is close to the pulley wheel.
Position the start light gate just after the current position of the glider.
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You will need to use 2 light gate and attach the pulley wheel at the end.
On the end of the string you hang a 10g mass hanger.
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Select 'timing'
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Setting up the data logger
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Make sure the first gate is plugged into port A.
Make sure the second gate is plugged into port B.
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Select 'acceleration'
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2d.p. should be fine for this
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The length of the card on top of the rider 
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Testing the set-up
Once set up it simply takes seconds to measure the acceleration, as shown in the video