Question

at the beginning we leveled the track. this would not have affected your measurement in procedure 1, but a track that is not level would have created a systematic error in procedure 2 and procedure 3. in terms of forces, explain why this is so.
effects of motion
in procedure 3, you saw a graph of the displacement vs. time graph. on the axes below, sketch the expected graphs for

• velocity (assumed positive) vs. time
• acceleration vs. time

Explanation:

For the force explanation: An unlevel track introduces a gravitational component along the track. In procedures 2 and 3 (involving motion), this adds a systematic force, causing consistent errors; procedure 1 likely has no track motion, so no effect.

For the graphs: Assuming displacement-time is quadratic (constant acceleration), velocity-time is a straight line with positive slope (since velocity is positive), acceleration-time is a horizontal line (constant acceleration).

Answer:

1. An unlevel track creates a gravitational force component along the track, leading to systematic errors in procedures 2 and 3 (motion along track) by adding constant force; procedure 1 is unaffected (no track motion).
2. Velocity vs. time graph: A straight line with positive slope (constant acceleration). Acceleration vs. time graph: A horizontal line (constant acceleration value).