Giulia Socolof 9/26/13 Section B The Speed of Different Objects Purpose: To find out the speeds of different objects

and to learn how to calculate speed. Hypothesis: If the speed of a dog, the speed of a remote control car, and the speed of a minute hand are measured, then the dog will be the fastest and the minute hand will be the slowest because the dogs muscles can propel it faster than the car motor, and clocks are always made at a speed of 3600 seconds per the clocks circumference. Materials: Tape measure Pencil Calculator Stopwatch on iPod Hard, flat surface Analog clock Remote control car Dog Procedure: Dog1. Gathered materials. 2. Marked out 5m on grass. 3. Put dog at start. 4. Threw ball. 5. Measured time dog took to run 5m with stopwatch. 6. Repeated steps 3-5 2 more times. Car1. Gathered materials. 2. Marked out 3m on floor. 3. Put car at start and aligned wheels straight. 4. Turned car and remote on. 5. Drove car 3m while recording time. 6. Repeated steps 2 more times. Minute hand1. Gathered materials. 2. Measured circumference of clock around tip of hand. 3. Measured time hand took to make a full rotation. 4. Repeated 2 more times.

Results: Raw data: Table 1 Data Collected Trial 1 time Dog 1.3s Car 2.1s Minute Hand 60m Manipulated Data: Trial 2 time 1.4s 2s 60m Trial 3 time 1.3s 1.9s 60m Distance 5m 3m 55cm

Dog avg. time: 1.3+1.4+1.3= 4. 43=1 1/3s Car avg. time: 2s Minute hand avg. time: 3600s Dog speed: total distance/total time 51 1/3= 3.75 m/s Car speed: 1.5 m/s Minute hand speed: 0.0001527 m/s

Graph 1
4 3.5 3 2.5 Speed (Meters/Seco nd) 2 1.5 1 0.5 0

Speed Comparison

Dog

Car

Minute Hand

Discussion: This experiment was done to learn the speeds of different objects and to better grasp how to calculate speed. Prior the experiment, the dog was believed to be the fastest because its leg muscles can propel itself forward faster than a remote control cars motor or a minute hand on a clock. The data that was collected shows that the original hypothesis was true, because the dog has the fastest speed. The car had the second fastest speed, and the minute hand was the slowest, so everything was as predicted. These things happened because of the original statement in the hypothesis. It was observed that the dog moved its legs very fast. It was also observed that the minute hand moved at a constant speed. Since it has to tell time, the minute hand always takes the same amount of time, but can go at different speeds, depending on the size of the clock. Three trials of each measurement were performed in order to eliminate as many sources of error as possible. An example of one source of error is that a human hand is not always entirely accurate, because it takes a moment for the brain to react. Another source of error is that on one measurement of the car, it briefly came in contact with the wall in the hallway. If this experiment were to be done again, the student should make sure to place the car far away from walls, and align the wheels carefully so the car will stay straight. All the measurements had to be converted to meters per second eventually, because otherwise, they cannot be accurately compared on a graph. It was the most difficult to measure the minute hand because in order to get a truly accurate measurement, you have to wait a very long time for it to make a complete rotation. Also, the experiment would be easier to do if the student could get an automated timing system, because a machine is more accurate than a human hand. All in all, the experiment went pretty well, but there are some things the student could do differently. Conclusion: The purpose of this experiment was to learn the speeds of different objects and to better learn how to calculate speed. This was because these skills are necessary in science, and will aid students in performing future experiments. This was accomplished, according to the student. The hypothesis was accepted. The dog was indeed the fastest, the car the second fastest, and the minute hand the slowest.