Constant Velocity Vs. Constant Acceleration

The main purpose of this lab was to compare constant velocity and constant acceleration, as well as to learn about the equation of a line and how to use it in physics. Constant velocity is when an object is moving at a constant speed. We can tell when something is at constant velocity when it is evenly spaced apart at different time intervals. Constant acceleration is when an object is constantly speeding up. We can tell if something is at constant velocity when the space between it and its last position at a given time interval becomes larger. In this lab, we placed a marble on a flat surface and marked its position at every half second to study constant velocity. We also placed a marble on a ramp and marked its position at every half second to study constant acceleration. When the marble was at constant velocity, it continued at the same speed during the entire experiment. When it was at constant acceleration, it consistently sped up. The formula for constant velocity is: v = d/t. The formula for constant acceleration is: a = △v/t. The line in a graph for constant velocity is straight, while the line in a graph for constant acceleration curves upwards. We used the graph to tell if the marble was undergoing constant velocity or constant acceleration. We used the equation of the line to find the acceleration, velocity, and distance in an equation by translating it into physics terms.In this lab, I learned the equation of a line, how to translate that into physics terms, and how to make a graph in excel, all of which will help me in future labs.