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Material Type: Lab; Class: Essentials of Physics >3; Subject: Physics; University: University of Oregon; Term: Unknown 1989;
Typology: Lab Reports
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Materials by Dean Livelybrooks — dlivelyb@hendrix.uoregon.edu 1
Important note: this lab meets at the playground located at the SW corner of 23rd^ and University streets, about 7 blocks south of the UO campus. Many of the fun things to do at a playground involve rotational motion— moving in circles. This lab comprises four experiments: the barbell, the teeter-totter; the swing; and the merry-go- round. You will be undertaking all three experiments. Experiment: Teeter totter tallies total torques! Story at ten Introduction: You’re sitting on one end of a teeter totter, minding your own business, when the big class bully comes along and plops down on the other end, sending you flying. You swear to seek revenge via the laws of physics. What can you do next time? Question : Given that the class bully weighs twice as much as you, how can you change how you sit on the teeter totter so that you both balance when he sits on the other end? Be specific and explain your reasoning. Draw diagrams that illustrate your method. Procedures:
Fill in the second column of the table above.
displacement from equilibrium / length of swing = __________ (starting angle in radians) (note: 0.5 radians is a little less than 30 degrees and corresponds to a displacement that is half the length of the swing.) 7.Enter the torque on the swinger for each trial. To do so, use the following formula: weight of swinger x starting angle = __________ (return force) lever arm x return force (from just above) = ___________ (torque on swinger) Calculations/Questions:
Characteristic/variable being observed: Weight of swinger (N) Lever arm (m) Displace- ment from equil. (m) Starting angle (radians) Return force (n) Torque on swinger (N-m) Period for 5 swings (s) Period T (s) Characteristic/variable being observed: Weight of swinger (N) Lever arm (m) Displace- ment from equil. (m) Starting angle (radians) Return force (n) Torque on swinger (N-m) Period for 5 swings (s) Period T (s)
Characteristic/variable being observed: Weight of swinger (N) Lever arm (m) Displace- ment from equil. (m) Starting angle (radians) Return force (n) Torque on swinger (N-m) Period for 5 swings (s) Period T (s)
Calculate the distances traveled by the mass at each position (1/2 way, all-the-way out) and fill in the “Distance traveled” column, above.
The radius doubled when we moved the mass from 1/2-way to all-the-way out. How did the
definition for centripetal force consistent with your results?
Part Three: How high the moon? Introduction: Did you know that the moon is moving slowly away from the Earth? Each time we have another full moon, it has moved about 1/4 centimeters further away from the Earth. What is causing this? One explanation is that the Earth’s rotation is slowing down and conservation of angular momentum dictates that the moon move further away to compensate. To understand this explanation, it is useful to know what the term “conservation of angular momentum” means. That is the purpose of this part of the merry-go-round experiment. Procedures:
Acceleration g The (constant) acceleration (9.8m/s/s) of any thing g = F / m (only