| Author | Message | ||
     Anonymous |
Do you think that if i were to take a model coal car (miniture) and put it on track that fits it strap a rubber band to it, pull it back on the track and let it fly into something that it could show the affect of impact or would it not be accurate at all. HERE IS A ILLISTRATION IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND -------------------------------------------------------------- |~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~(OOOO) -------------------------------------------------------------- The sled is the ( ) the 00000 inside it are the weights. the ~~~~~ represents the rubberband and the other stuff is the train tracks the sled is on | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (Sfield) |
The way to eliminate many of the variables in your experiment is to compare the effects of the same setup with two different weights (say 100 grams and 200 grams). Some of the friction of the bearings and the wheels will still be affected by the difference in weight, but the friction caused by the weight of the car itself will null out, and the additional friction caused by the extra 100 grams will be fairly small. If you like, you can replace the rubber band with a string attached to the car at one end, and a weight at the other. The weight dangles over the edge of the table holding the track. Now gravity does the pulling, and it is easier to calculate the forces. The friction of the string over the edge of the table can be minimised with a pulley, or some low friction plastic. |
