Inclined Plane VideoLab

In this experiment you investigate the motion of a slotted weight attached to a blackboard erasor on an inclined plane. The object of the experiment is to determine the coefficient of static and kinetic friction between the erasor and the table.

The equipment consists of a 500 gram (see movie) and a 1000 gram mass on an adjustable ramp. Run the movie to observe the motion. Click on the links below to perform the experiment. You will need the x versus t and the y vs t data. Paste the data into a spreadsheet to analyse the motion. Find the coefficient of static friction from the angle of the ramp. Find the coefficient of kinetic friction from a quadratic fit to the position versus time data.

What values for the coefficients of friction can you find from the motion?