Question

1. after reading their lab instructions carefully, betty and johnny gathered the following data using a car, track, and two photogates:

time from photogates a to b (s)	distance between photogates a and b (m)
0.67	0.40
1.0	0.60

what is the velocity of the car? is the velocity increasing, decreasing, or constant?

Explanation:

Step1: Recall velocity formula

Velocity $v=\frac{d}{t}$, where $d$ is distance and $t$ is time.

Step2: Calculate velocity for first - data set

For the first row of data, $t = 0.33\ s$ and $d=0.20\ m$. So $v_1=\frac{0.20}{0.33}\approx0.61\ m/s$.

Step3: Calculate velocity for second - data set

For the second row of data, $t = 0.67\ s$ and $d = 0.40\ m$. So $v_2=\frac{0.40}{0.67}\approx0.60\ m/s$.

Step4: Calculate velocity for third - data set

For the third row of data, $t = 1.0\ s$ and $d = 0.60\ m$. So $v_3=\frac{0.60}{1.0}=0.60\ m/s$.

Step5: Analyze velocity trend

Since $v_1\approx v_2\approx v_3\approx0.6\ m/s$, the velocity is constant.

Answer:

0.6 m/s, constant