Motion and Measurement of Distances (Smart Dual Photogate Velocity Track)
Source:
Measure speed like a physicist! Launch a toy car down a 1-meter incline track equipped with 2 IR photogate sensors. The system records transit time in milliseconds, calculating exact velocity in m/s and km/h on an LCD screen.
Categorisation
Props & Materials Required
- •1-Meter inclined track with distance millimeter ruler scale
- •2x IR slotted photo-interrupter break-beam gates (Gate A & Gate B)
- •Toy car with speed flags
- •ESP32 controller board
- •16x2 LCD display screen
- •DFPlayer Mini MP3 module + 3W speaker
Step-by-Step Instructions
1
Set Photogate Distance to 0.5m
Place Photogate A at 0.0m and Photogate B at 0.5m mark.
2
Release Car down Incline Track
Release car. As car breaks Photogate A beam, timer starts instantly!
3
Break Photogate B Beam
Car breaks Photogate B beam. Timer stops at 250 milliseconds (0.25 s).
4
Velocity Calculation Display
LCD displays 'Time: 0.25 s | Distance: 0.5 m | Speed: 2.0 m/s (7.2 km/h)!'. Speaker announces rectilinear motion speed!
Why It Works & Notes
Speed is distance divided by time (v = d/t). Measuring track time between IR photogate sensors with microsecond accuracy turns abstract speed formulas into real experimental physics.