Velocity And Acceleration Motion Maps

Imagine a device that could identify the position of a moving object at abiding intervals of time - for instance, every second or every 1/10-th 2d or even every one/threescore-thursday second. Perhaps such a device could rails the location of a object moving in 1-dimension past placing a dot on a strip of paper. The trail of dots would correspond the movement of the object as information technology changes its position over the course of time.

Believe it or not, there is such a device - it's called a ticker tape timer . Before the advent of computers in Physics labs, a common style of analyzing the move of objects in physics labs was to perform a ticker record analysis. A long record was fastened to a moving object and threaded through a device that placed a tick upon the record at regular intervals of fourth dimension - say every 0.10 2d. As the object moved, it dragged the tape through the "ticker," thus leaving a trail of dots. The trail of dots provided a history of the object's motion and therefore a representation of the object'due south movement.

Video of Ticker Tape Assay

Dot Diagrams

While the use of ticker tape analyses in Physics labs has mostly been replaced by the use of reckoner-interfaced motion detectors, the employ of ticker tapes ormotion diagrams all the same persists in our Physics curriculum due to the visual nature of representing an object'southward motion. Such diagrams are referred to as dot diagrams, motion diagrams, oil driblet diagrams, and (all the same) ticker tape diagrams.

The distance between dots on a dot diagram represents the object'southward position modify during that fourth dimension interval. A large distance between dots indicates that the object was moving fast during that time interval. A minor altitude between dots means the object was moving deadening during that time interval. Dot diagrams for a fast- and ho-hum-moving object are depicted below.

The analysis of a dot diagram will also reveal if the object is moving with a abiding velocity or accelerating. A changing altitude between dots indicates a changing velocity and thus an acceleration. A constant distance between dots represents a constant velocity and therefore no acceleration. Dot diagrams for objects moving with a abiding velocity and with an accelerated move are shown below.

And so dot diagrams provide one more means of representing various features of the motility of objects.

We Would Like to Suggest ...

Sometimes it isn't enough to only read almost information technology. You take to interact with it! And that's exactly what you do when you utilize ane of The Physics Classroom'southward Interactives. We would like to propose that yous combine the reading of this page with the utilize of our Name That Motion Interactive. It is found in the Physics Interactive section and allows a learner to employ concepts of speed, velocity, acceleration and ticker record diagrams.

VisitName That Move.

Check Your Agreement

Ticker tape diagrams are sometimes referred to as oil drop diagrams. Imagine a machine with a leaky engine that drips oil at a regular rate. As the car travels through town, it would go out a trace of oil on the street. That trace would reveal information about the movement of the automobile. Renatta Oyle owns such a car and it leaves a signature of Renatta's motility wherever she goes. Analyze the three traces of Renatta'south ventures as shown below. Presume Renatta is traveling from left to right. Describe Renatta'south motion characteristics during each section of the diagram. Click the push to check your answers.

one.