User's Manual

Ballistic Pendulum Accessory Model No. ME-9845

Part II: Measuring the Height of the

Catcher

1. As the catcher swings up, thread is pulled through the VELCRO strip. When the catcher

swings back, the thread stops moving.

2. Hold the thread in place with your thumb and swing the catcher out until the thread is

tight.

3. Measure the height of the catcher off the table and subtract the height when the catcher is

at the bottom. The difference is the height (h) by which the catcher went up.

Experiment

1. Put the car on an incline on the track. Mark the car’s starting position on the white board, and

release the car from the top of the track.

2. If using photogates, measure the speed of the car. (Note: After the first run, do not pull the

thread completely back through the VELCRO. Only pull the thread back about 1 cm. This

will reduce the amount of VELCRO friction.)

3. For each run, start the car from the same height each time. If using photogates, measure

the speed and take an average value for all of the data runs. Measure the height of the

catcher for each data run and note the maximum height.

Experiment Variations

a) Repeat this experiment changing the initial speed of the car.

b) Start the car at a different place on the hill.

c) Take measurements with different masses in the car (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Car with Mass