PASCO ME-9426A AMUSEMENT PARK PHYSICS - Manual (Page 10)

Amusement Park Physics 012-03776E
6
A. Vertical Accelerometer
When calibrating the vertical accelerometer, it is wise
to employ Hooke's Law and a some foresight. In Figure
4, a thin, solid wire has been attached to a weight. By
hooking the end of the wire onto the lower end of the
spring just before lowering it into the tube, one can
establish the "2g" point easily. Then pull the 2nd weight
out the bottom of the tube and remove it, allowing the
single weight to rise up to the "1g" point. With these two
points determined, it is easy to finish calibrating the
accelerometer.
B. Horizontal Accelerometer
1. One method for constructing the horizontal acceler-
ometer makes use of the rapid set-up time of hot glue.
Put the clear tubing in one half of the cardboard,
insert the three BB's. Now put hot glue in the places
indicated in Figure 5. Pressing the two halves of the
accelerometer together results in a completed project
(except for the straw which can also be hot glued
on)15 seconds later. NOTE: Do not get hot glue in
the end of the tube as the BB's tend to stick to the glue.
2. For students using simple calculators (no trig func-
tions), a helpful aide is to reproduce the table of
tangents and glue it to the side of the horizontal
accelerometer. Both the acceleration and the heights
of rides depends upon the tangent value.
3. Also for ease of use, the student may wish to put the
length of his/her pace on the side of the horizontal
accelerometer if this is the method being used to
measure horizontal distances.
4. Other uses of the accelerometers:
a. Use the vertical accelerometer to measure the
acceleration achieved when jumping upwards, or to
measure the stopping acceleration when jumping
down from a chair seat. The basic principle of the
device can be clearly learned before going to the
park.
b. Accelerometers can be employed on mass transit
to measure motion, including buses, light rail and
subway systems.
c. The horizontal accelerometer can be used to sight
star altitudes.
Table 1: Table of Tangents
Angle Tangent Angle Tangent
0 0.00 45 1.00
5 0.09 50 1.19
10 0.18 55 1.43
15 0.27 60 1.73
20 0.36 65 2.14
25 0.47 70 2.75
30 0.58 75 3.73
35 0.70 80 5.67
40 0.84 85 11.40
Construction and other Tips
Fine, solid wire
Figure 4: Method of calibrating
Vertical Accelerometer
Hot Glue
Figure 5: Using Hot Glue to Construct the
Horizontal Accelerometer