Our College Physics Laboratory project for Autumn is to completely analyze that experiment. In the process, we will look at the linear motion of the puck's center of mass as well as its rotational motion, and investigate the role friction played in the experiment. We will also learn the importance of repeated measurements for quantifying error, and use a variety of plotting and statistical techniques for data analysis. Finally, we will read several historically important papers in physics in order to learn how good experimental reports are constructed. Your final report will be a culmination of this entire endeavor.
Here are two views of the puck:
It's mass is 65.56 grams, and you can measure its dimensions from the images above. Notice the solid white line on the left of the left-hand image and the 4 white dots opposite it. We will refer to the latter as the "4 dot" line and it will be useful as we measure the rotation of the puck.
The video recording was separated into individual frames. Each frame was de-interlaced; an NTSC frame is made up of two fields, one with the even-numbered lines and one with the odd, and de-interlacing is the process of compositing them into a single image. Each image was then de-noised, cropped, brightened and over-sharpened to aid in data recording. Other than this thorough "washing", the video information was not altered in any way.
It is notoriously difficult to perform such an experiment so that the individual runs are identical; there are small differences in where the puck was started, whether it had a slight push or not and how much it may have wobbled in the track. The data sets, therefore, do not look exactly the same nor do they all have the same number of images. Your data set will be assigned to you at random and will contain from 72 to 92 images.
A Java applet (below) will allow you to to take all of the required data directly from the images. You will enter your data set number in the first box, and after you push the "Enter" key, the program will load the images from the server. You may not see an image until you push the play button (below).
If you are using a dial-up connection to the Internet, this could take some time; each data set contains an average of 80 images, each an average of 40 Kb in size. This means the download will average over 3 megabytes, which at a nominal 56 Kbits/second will take upwards of 8 minutes or longer, assuming error-free transmission.You can then use the play/pause (">" or "||"), back-frame ("|<"), forward-frame (">|"), speed-up (">>") and slow-down ("<<") buttons as necessary to play and navigate through the images for your experimental run. Each time you click on an image, the program will provide you with the coordinates in pixels for the point you clicked. Pixel is short for "picture element"; one pixel is the smallest "piece" of a digital image. Each image is 714 pixels wide and 120 pixels tall; this resolution will determine the maximum possible accuracy of your data.
The first point you click is called "Point 1", and the second one you click is called "Point 2". As you click successive points, they will alternate between Point 1 and Point 2. Each time you click on a Point 2, the program draw a red line between the points, and will also provide you with the distance (in pixels) between the points, and the angle between the vector which starts at Point 1 and ends at Point 2, and the positive x axis (in degrees, between 0 and 360).
Some of your measurements will be taken relative to a fixed point. Once you have chosen a Point 1, you can push the "set origin" button and Point 1 will be frozen until you push the same button (now labeled "clear origin") again. After you have chosen an origin, all measurements are taken relative to that point, even if you change images. If you get confused, or if there is a red line on the image that won't go away, just push the button once or twice until it is labeled "set origin" again and the boxes should empty and any red lines will go away.
It will be easiest to take the data if your screen resolution is 1024x768 or 800x600. This will make the images larger on the screen and it will be easier to point to individual pixels.
As you take data, remember that you do not have to do it all at once. It is a somewhat tedious process, and the more care you take the better your results will be. Don't be afraid to take the same data point repeatedly until you are happy with it, and take a break whenever you need to; your data quality will suffer greatly as you tire. You may write the data down, but it is easier to copy and paste it electronically into a text file or spreadsheet. Be sure to save your data regularly as a safeguard against computer malfunction!
The distance between the two points is the total distance traveled by the puck, denoted "dltotal"; record this distance.
The angle is the angle of the incline. Subtract this angle from 360 degrees; the result is the angle of elevation. Record both angles.
How does this angle compare with the value you found empirically during the first class meeting? What part does the size
and mass of the puck play in determining the optimal inclination angle for the rolling descent?
You will be able to convert the x and y pixel coordinates to centimeters by multiplying each pixel value by 70 and dividing by
the number of pixels between the 20 and 90 centimeter marks. Compute this conversion factor. Use it to convert
dltotal to cm; use this value below.
Make sure you have as many (x,y) coordinates as images.
Data entry errors will manifest themselves as sharp discontinuities in the plot(s). If you have any, fix them.
Except for the cyclic nature of the angles, there should again be no sharp discontinuities.
If there are any, they represent data entry errors; fix them.
Compute the mean (or average, denoted by the Greek letter "mu": m) for each value over all of the trials (data sets).
We will denote these as "r", "rin",
"q" and "cm/pixel" (q is the Greek letter "theta").
Repeated trials of an experiment rarely turn out exactly the same, no matter how hard
you try to re-create the initial conditions. This is a result of random (or statistical) error, which is complementary to
systematic error. While systematic error is determined by the experimental design, random error is a result of
living in the real world: there are so many factors affecting every trial that it is impossible to exactly
duplicate any given trial. By performing repeated trials and measuring the absolute deviation, we can
quantify the random error and ensure that we do not retain more significant digits than our experiment
allows.
We sometimes use absolute or relative deviation to measure the discrepancy between the measured and advertised (or standard) values for
some number. For instance, in the Winter Lab Project, we will compute the relative deviation between the measured and advertised
values of several electrical components. In these cases, we are comparing the measured value to the advertised value,
so the relative deviation is found by dividing by the advertised value. If we are comparing to some standard value (ie., 980
cm/s2 for g), we find the relative deviation by dividing the absolute deviation by the standard or accepted value.
In such a distribution, approximately 68.27%, or just over two thirds, of the data points will fall in the range described by the mean
plus or minus one standard deviation (within the red lines above). The standard deviation is denoted by the Greek letter
s ("sigma"), and is computed by squaring all of the absolute deviations, adding the squares, dividing by
one less than the number of data points, and taking the square root:
Convert the x and y coordinates to centimeters (cm).
Assuming that the uncertainty in our coordinates is 1 pixel, the absolute uncertainty in each coordinate, in cm, is equal to
the accuracy you computed above. Let us call that value "Dx" ("Delta-x").
In order to numerically evaluate the uncertainty
propagation in our computation of the total distance traveled by the puck, we have to compute the relative uncertainty for each value of x and y.
We will call these "Dxrel" and "Dyrel".
For each coordinate, Dxrel = Dx / x (and the same for y).
Compute the relative uncertainties in your x and y coordinates.
Using the root mean square,
or RMS method of propagating uncertainty, the uncertainty for the sum of the individual distances between images is the
square root of the sum of the squares of the uncertainties for every x and y coordinate, divided by the square root of the number of data points:
You can compute the absolute uncertainty in dlsum by multiplying the RMS uncertainty times dlsum. This is
the "expected uncertainty" due to propagation. Now compute the absolute difference between dlsum and dltotal;
this is the "actual uncertainty". If the expected uncertainty is greater than the actual uncertainty, dlsum and dltotal
can be considered consistent. Are they?
In order to compute this slope, we are going to perform a least squares fit (also known as a linear regression).
b = Y - m X
So if you had 10 velocities, the slope equation would be
Compute the mean and standard deviation of the accelerations. What does this tell you about the experiment,
and about your data set in particular?
Use Af to compute the force due to friction (denoted "Ff"), and
AN to compute the force exerted normal to the incline by the weight of the puck (denoted "FN").
Since we have measured distance in centimeters, mass in grams and time in seconds, we are using the CGS system
of units. The CGS unit of force is the dyne.
Since the velocities fluctuated significantly, compute your initial and final velocities from your linear regression equation. Use
t = 0 and t = (N-1) * .0333667 seconds for this purpose.
Compute DU and DK. Since we are using the CGS
system in this experiment, these numbers will be in units of ergs. The erg is a very small unit, so these numbers will be
relatively large compared to the others you have been computing.
While the applet provided the angles in familiar degrees, the standard measure for angles is the radian. There are
p radians in 180 degrees. Convert all of your angles to radians.
The period is the time for one cycle; what do the decreasing periods indicate about the
angular velocity? (See your text.)
Starting with the data from the first angle plot (which we will call the "original" data), adjust it as follows:
This process will adjust your data as follows: the red data points marked "A" are unchanged. The black data points marked "B"
are translated down by subtracting 2 p so that they continue where the "A" points left off.
The "C" points are translated down to where the "B" points left off by subtracting 4 p from them, etc.
The plot from step 9 should resemble the black data points, while the plot you are about to make should resemble the red ones.
Compute the mean and standard deviation of the angular accelerations. What does this tell you about the experiment,
and about your data set in particular?
Conservation of Energy tells us that for the puck, the change in potential energy is equal to the change in
translational kinetic energy plus the change in rotational kinetic energy plus the energy dissipated by friction
(denoted "Ef"), or
Using the fact that
These papers will help you learn how to structure your final lab report. For each paper, do the following:
This paper and the next describe the first observations of a particle predicted by the fledgling Standard
Model of Particle Physics. Since it was discovered essentially simultaneously by two different groups in two
different laboratories, the particle has become known as the "J/y" after the names
given by the two groups. Note the dates on which each paper was received by the journal.
As you read the second paper, think about how these two papers are alike and how they are different, even though they describe the same
result, found in two very similar experiments.
In particle physics, p stands for proton, e- for electron, e+ for a positron
(identical to an electron except with positive charge) and m stands for a muon (a heavier
brother to the electron). eV is defined in your text; the prefix "G" stands for 1 billion. Look up the terms
"Cherenkov", "hadron" and "synchrotron".
This paper reports on observations made at SLAC: the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.
A cross section describes collisions between particles. Resonance is another term for a peak in a cross section.
Bhabha scattering is the process when an electron and a positron collide but yield only another electron and positron.
The Kamiokande detector was originally built in a mine in
Japan to search for proton decay. The detection of neutrinos
(very light neutral elementary particles denoted by the Greek letter n, pronounced "nu")
from the first observed supernova of 1987 not only helped to verify the
standard model of supernova physics, but also ushered in a new era of neutrino physics in which underground detectors
are used to detect neutrinos from astrophysical sources.
"g" is the Greek letter gamma, here used to denote high-energy photons released from
radioactive decay. "PMT" stands for photomultiplier tube; look this one up. Compton scattering is the process when an
electron scatters off of a photon. A Poisson distribution is a statistical distribution (like the Gaussian one
discussed above) which describes the arrival of events.
You can figure out what flux is by examining the units. What and where is the Large Magellanic Cloud?
COBE, the Cosmic Background Explorer satellite, was built to observe one thing: variations in the Cosmic Microwave Background
(CMB) radiation. CMB radiation is essentially the photons left after the Big Bang when the universe cooled sufficiently to
become transparent to photons. When was this, and why is its temperature now approximately 2.7 degrees Kelvin?
Those variations are thought to be the seeds of all the structural elements in the observed universe, including you and me.
Look up the terms "anisotropy", "correlation", "dipole" and "quadrupole". The images at the end of the paper, particularly the last one,
are precursors to an image which may be familiar to you from NASA press releases.
©2007, Kenneth R. Koehler. All Rights Reserved. This document may be freely reproduced provided that this copyright notice is included.
Please send comments or suggestions to the author.
Data Analysis
The following list of questions and assignments will guide you through the analysis of your data.
It is helpful to set the origin in the center of the puck for each of these measurements; that way you
can be sure you have it in the same position you recorded earlier, and move the edge of the line easily to get the
best bisection of the four dots. If you do this, you will have to clear the origin before advancing to the next image.
Make sure you have as many angle data points as coordinate data points when you are finished.
To find the absolute deviation of a data set, first find the absolute value of the the difference between
every data point and the mean (its deviation from the mean). The absolute deviation is defined as the largest of these differences.
It is easier to evaluate the random error if it is expressed as a percent. This number is called the relative deviation,
and is found by dividing the absolute deviation by the mean and multiplying by 100% (because "percent" literally means
"over 100"). Note that the relative deviation is unitless.
The absolute and relative deviations measure the variability of a data set, but not the "spread" (how clustered or spread out the
data is). If we assume that the deviations in a set of repeated trials are due solely to random error, we can expect the
data to follow a Gaussian or normal distribution: the familiar "bell curve", centered on the mean:
Note that the standard deviation is a more reasonable measure of the variability of the data set.
s = (S (xi - m)2 / (N-1))1/2
(S indicates summation.) s has the same units as the absolute deviation.
All coordinates and distances should be in cm from this point on.
The raw data was accurate to a resolution of at most one pixel, depending on how careful you were using
the program (above). What is the accuracy of the converted coordinates, in cm?
If this bothers you, consider the fingers of one of your hands:
supposing you have 5 fingers, you will only have 4 spaces between the finger tips.
We will denote the sum of the distances as "dlsum".
Is this the same as dltotal? Why or why not?
RMS = (S (Dxrel2 +
Dyrel2) / N)1/2
Compute the RMS uncertainty.
If this bothers you, consider the five-fingered hand we considered above. It had only four spaces between fingertips, and it
has only three distances between those four spaces. Those 3 distances correspond to the time between the first and
last velocity points.
In general, for n pairs of data points (xi, yi) with mean (X, Y), the slope (m) and intercept (b) are given by
Here,
m = (n * X * Y - S(xi * yi)) / (n * X2 - S(xi2))
where the S denotes a sum over all of the data pairs.
m = (10 * X * Y - (x1 * y1 + x2 * y2 + ... + x10 * y10)) /
(10 * X2 - (x12 + x22 + ... + x102))
That slope is your average acceleration (denoted "A"). The y-intercept is the initial velocity (denoted "V0").
g = 980.616 - 2.5928 cos (2 f) + 0.0069 cos2 (2 f) - 3.086 * 10-6 H
where f ("phi") is your latitude and H is your altitude in centimeters above sea level. Assume that
Blue Ash, Ohio is at 39.25 degrees North Latitude and is 850 feet above sea level. Use these values to compute g.
Note that if you use Excel to compute sines and cosines, it expects you to convert degrees into radians before taking the sine or cosine.
Everyone should get the same value for g. Make sure your value is correct before you proceed.
AP = g sin q,
where q ("theta") is the angle of the incline. The component of its acceleration normal (perpendicular)
to the incline is
AN = g cos q,
Compute AP and AN. You should expect AP to be much smaller then AN because
q is so small.
Af = AP - A.
Compute Af.
Plot the adjusted, monotonically decreasing angular data. This is the form of the data we will use in the rest of the analysis.
100% * | ds - dltotal | / dltotal
How careful were you?
Note that this step and the next two are strictly analogous to steps 19 through 22 for the linear distance data, except
that the angular velocities and acceleration are negative, due to the clockwise rotation of the puck.
I = m (r2 + rin2) / 2.
Compute the moment of inertia for the puck. Everyone should have the same value for I. Be sure that you do before you proceed.
DU = DK + DKrot + Ef.
Compute Ef.
Wf = Ff dltotal.
Part of this work was lost as Ef and the remainder guaranteed that the puck did not slip as it rolled down the incline.
Since we have assumed the puck did not slip as it rolled, the friction between the edge of the puck and the floor of the track
must have contributed a torque of
ts = ms FN r,
where ms ("mu") is the coefficient of static friction between the puck
and the floor of the track (why static and not kinetic?). What is the direction of rotation associated with ts?
Wf - Ef = ts dq,
compute ms. Is this a reasonable value?
Was it necessary to know the mass of the puck in order to calculate ms?
Reading Assignments
Over the course of the first seven weeks of the quarter, you are to read the following original scientific
papers describing some of the most important experimental results in physics in the last quarter of the 20th century.
The links provided below should allow you to download the papers in PDF format from any computer in the University of
Cincinnati network (the last link should work from any computer).
The papers for this quarter are:
Do not simply cut and paste definitions from the web; write them in your own words!
What are the elements common to all of these papers? Your project report will be expected to include these elements.