Setting up a buggy lab track

For the constant velocity buggy lab, I’m lucky enough to have a pathway behind our physics rooms that is locked off to the general student community. When we run the buggy lab, students work back here. Last year I had papers taped in various places to help students determine their starting position and direction…and they had problems figuring this out.

This year I got stencils and painted numbers on the pavement.

In order to avoid collisions, the odd number stations are all on one side of the tape, moving in the positive direction; the even numbered groups are on the other side of the tape, moving in the negative direction. I have about 45 m for my track, so I start at -16 m and run to 29 m. Each group is separated by 5 m, and since the alternate direction and sides of tape, they have about 10 m before they run into another group.

To mark which tape measure is in ‘negative land’ and which is in ‘positive land,’ I put Ns and Ps on the ground. Next year I may add positive and negative signs, but I ran out of time for this year (and the stencils didn’t have + or – signs).

The tape measure in the photos below is just quickly laid down, when I run it with students I’ll have it taped down the middle of the sidewalk.