A student investigates the motion of a skateboard travelling down a straight, shallow ramp. A card of length 0.100 m is attached to the skateboard. Two light gates, separated by 2.25 m, are connected to a data logger. Assume that the skateboard has uniform acceleration between the gates in each trial.
The results are shown in the table.
| Trial | Interruption time at first gate (s) | Time between gates (s) | Interruption time at second gate (s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.050 | 1.00 | 0.040 |
| 2 | 0.048 | 0.96 | 0.039 |
| 3 | 0.052 | 1.04 | 0.041 |
The student proposes using
speed at the second gate=2.25 mtime between the gates \text{speed at the second gate}=\frac{2.25\ \mathrm{m}}{\text{time between the gates}} speed at the second gate=time between the gates2.25 mEvaluate this proposal. Use the results from all three trials to determine the mean acceleration of the skateboard, and suggest one precaution the student should take to obtain reliable results.