Colliding a cart with a wall
Place the Force probe on its side wedged in a pile of books so that it is at the same height as the bumper of your cart. It could also be clamped to a ring stand. Have someone hold the Force probe down firmly during the experiment. Unscrew and set aside the larger eyebolt if it's in the way.
Make sure the motor and propeller are set for pushing the cart. The white dot on the propeller should be toward the motor.
Connect the Force probe to your handheld computer. Refer to Technical Hints to see how to connect the cables.
Start the software.
Set the force probe to zero in this position. Refer to Technical Hints to see how to set the Force probe to zero.
Line up the cart bumper with the Force probe, then roll the cart back about 50cm. Mark the distance so that you can start the cart in the same place every time.
Start the propeller motor. Use the springiness of the wires to hold them lightly in place.
Start recording the force, then let the cart go. Make sure it bumps directly into the small eyebolt. Observe the behavior of the acrobat during the collision.
Stop recording immediately after a good collision and save your data to the handheld computer.
Examine the graph. Zoom in on your collision until it fills most of your screen.
Answer the following in Notes on your handheld computer:
What is the shape of the graph?
How long did the collision take?
What was the maximum force?
What did the acrobat do during the collision?
