Variable Speed Car Lab

Soundharya Subramaniam and Grace Zhang

Abstract
In this lab, the purpose was to graph the position vs.
time graph of a moving car in order to find the slope.
The speed of the car was altered in the first part of the
lab to show how that altered the slope in the position
vs. time graph. A faster car showed a more positive
slope, and a slower car showed a smaller slope in the
graph. Then in the second part of the experiment, the
speed of the car was altered during the same run. The
speed alternated from constant to unmoving, and this
affected the graph to show alternating portions of
positive and zero slope as time progressed. This labs
results demonstrate the relationship between the slope
of a position vs. time graph and the speed of an object.

Objectives
In this lab, the purpose is to understand the
relationship between position and time. This is
done by using a car with alternating speeds, a
whiteboard, a stopwatch, and a marker. It began
by creating a reference line or starting line and
an agreed stopping point for the car so each time
it would be going the same distance no matter
the speed. The distance gone by each second is
marked at three speeds: slow, slow-medium, and
fast. Measure how far apart the marks are at each
speed separately, graph them, and calculated a
y=mx+b, linear equation for the three graphs
using prior knowledge. As the result of the lab,
the faster the speed the further each mark is and
the slower the speed the closer the marks.
Giving an idea of the position of a car at
different speeds are at a given time.

Methods
For this project we conducted the experiment of
variable car speeds showing motion relative
to time. We used a white-board, a marker, a
car with variation in speed, a timer, and a
ruler. A starting point was drawn on the whiteboard to indicate the place to start the car
and timer. An end point was chosen to
indicate when to stop the stopwatch. Data
was collected by putting a mark in front of the
car every second. Then the distances of
these marks were measured from the
reference line each time and put into a data
table and a graph of distance from start line
(y axis) over time (x axis). The process was
repeated with the car set at slow speed,
medium speed, fast speed, and medium
speed going in the opposite direction on the
white board. A different line was graphed for
each run, and the graph was used to
calculate the equation of the line in y = mx + b
format, and then the y intercept and slope
were explained.
In the second part of the lab, a new variable
was introduced, in the speed of the car.
Previously, for each run, the speed of the car
was constant. In the second part, the car was
at a constant speed for two seconds, stopped
for two seconds, continued at the previous
speed for two seconds, and continued in this
alternating fashion. Marks were still placed in
front of the car at one-second intervals on the
white board, and were used to measure the
distance of the car at those times from the
start line. The distances were placed in a
graph of Distance from start line as time

passes.

Results
Time
(seco
nds)

Distance from
Start in cm
(Control)

Distance from
Start in cm
(Experimental)

8.5

7.7

16.1

15.2

23.2

15.2

31.3

15.2

38.8

23.1

46.5

31.5

54.2

31.5

31.5

39.5

10

47.0

11

47.0

12

47.0

13

54.0

The results show that in the control,

the speed of the car did not change, so
the slope remained constant. In the
experimental, when the speed of the
car was altered, the distance traveled
over time changed, and the slope
changed. In this case the speed was
changed to unmoving so the slopes at
those points in the graph are zero.
When movement resumes the slope is
positive.

Conclusion: The variable in this experiment

was when the car moved/didnt move at
different times. The variable caused the
slope of the graph to be constant and
positive when the car was moving, and
caused the slope to be zero when the car
was not moving, so there were alternating
periods of increasing and constant values on
the graph of distance from start point vs.
time. In the first two seconds, the position of
the car was 7.7, then 15.2 centimeters away
from the start line. For the next two seconds,
the position was constant at 15.2
centimeters away. This evidence shows that
when the car was moving, the slope was
about 7 cm/ second, and when the car was
not moving, the distance from the start line
was constant over time, so the slope was
zero. From this lab it was discovered that in
position vs time graphs, if the position does
not change over time, the slope is zero. If
the position gets farther and farther away
from the start point over time, the slope is
positive. This is important to note because
position vs time graphs and their slopes
reveal the velocity of an object. The lab
showed that when the object does not move
over time, the slope is zero. This is important
to note because the velocity at these points
is zero, and the lab demonstrates how
velocity is a direct result of the relationship
between an object and its motion.