ERIC Number: EJ1195080
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Nov
Pages: 2
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-921X
EISSN: N/A
Accurate Radar Measurements of Drag Coefficients in Free Flight
Courtney, Elya; Morris, Collin; Courtney, Michael
Physics Teacher, v56 n8 p530-531 Nov 2018
Undergraduate lab design balances several factors: 1) simple experiments connected with learning objectives, 2) experiments sufficiently accurate for comparisons between theory and measurements without gaps when students ascribe discrepancies to confounding factors (imperfect simplifying assumptions, measurement uncertainties, and "human error"), and 3) experiments capturing student attention to ensure due diligence in execution and analysis. Drag coefficient measurements are a particular challenge, though there has been some success using accurate measurements of terminal velocities. Video shows promise in several areas of kinematics, but the number of trials in a reasonable time is limited, and analysis techniques to determine drag coefficients often include numerical integration of differential equations. Here we demonstrate a technique with potential to measure drag coefficients to near 1% accuracy using an affordable 2.4 GHz Doppler radar system and round plastic pellets from an Airsoft launcher.
Descriptors: Electronic Equipment, Measurement, Accuracy, Physics, Motion, Science Instruction, College Science, Undergraduate Study, Science Experiments
American Association of Physics Teachers. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740. Tel: 301-209-3300; Fax: 301-209-0845; e-mail: pubs@aapt.org; Web site: http://aapt.scitation.org/journal/pte
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A