The Sliding Glider Problem

Photo by wwarby

In class, we did an experiment where we calculated the acceleration of a glider down a 2.81° incline under ideal conditions. We followed this up by using the computer tools to measure the actual acceleration. Can the acceleration of the glider be determined without a computer?


I recorded a video of the experiment:

Our air track is exactly 2 meter  long. Since there are bumpers at the ends of the track and the glider itself is 13 cm long, the total distance traveled is slightly less than 2 meters. It's a little hard to see in the video, but the front of the glider is at the 20-cm (or .20-m) mark on the air track. The audible click occurs when the front of the glider reaches a position of 2.00 m.

1. How far does the glider travel as it slides down the ramp in this experiment?
2. How long does the trip take? (HINT: use a stopwatch while viewing the video or, depending on your browser or software, use the video's time code.)
3. The glider starts from rest and accelerates constantly during its trip. What is the value of this acceleration?

If you do these calculations, please briefly explain how you are getting your results. How does our "hand" calculated value for the glider's acceleration compare to both the theoretical value and the computer-measured value?

Dueling Ramps

Consider the two frictionless ramps shown in the above sketch. Identical gliders are positioned so that their center of masses are both 10 meters above the ground. Answer as many of these questions as you can... ...

1. What is the acceleration of the glider on the left ramp?
2. What is the acceleration of the glider on the right ramp?
3. How fast is the glider on the left moving when it reaches the ground?
4. How fast is the glider on the right moving when it reaches the ground?
5. Which glider reaches the ground first *and why*?

Vector Components

Using vector components proves very useful in physics. Many problems can be solved by resolving vectors into components. Without components, these same problems are very challenging! Head over to Zona Land Education and play around with their component visualizer. Within the applet, there are 4 "styles" from which to choose. Which style seems the most intuitive to you? When you imagine a vector's components, which style do you mentally picture?

Vector components allows us to easily add non-perpendicular vectors together. Even though this is not a difficult task, it is rather tedious. Many graphing calculators can add vectors, but the vectors are usually not in the same format that physics students are used to seeing.

Do an internet search and see if you can find any free, online vector calculators that can add two vectors together, and post a link to your favorite as a comment.