®
B r i d g e S e t
A d d i n g L o a d C e l l s
6
To attach the starter bracket to the road bed, squeeze the
spring metal clip and insert the clip into the slot on the bot-
tom of the road bed, then release the clip (See Figure 9).
Place the mini-car between the sides of the starter bracket
to align the wheels with the ridges on the road bed (see the
figure below).
Using the Mini-car
The ridges in the road bed guide the Mini-car wheels. The supplied mass (approximately 200 g) can be set in the
recess in the Mini-car to give the car more mass. If smaller masses are desired, use the Mass and Hanger Set
(PASCO Model ME-8979).
The photogate flag fits into the slot on the side of the Mini-car. As the car passes through a photogate, the infra-
red beam is blocked twice by the flag. To find the speed of the car, measure the distance between the leading
edges of the flag (approximately 1 cm) and measure the time between the events when the infrared beam is
blocked.
The Accessory Photogate with Stand (PASCO Model ME-9204B) is useful as a free-standing photogate.
Adding Load Cells
To measure the compression and tension forces in individ-
ual members, add load cells (PASCO Model PS-2199) to
any PASCO Structure. Replace a beam with two shorter
beams and a load cell.
#5 beam = load cell + two #3 beams
#4 beam = load cell + two #2 beams
#3 beam = load cell + two #1 beams
Use thumbscrews to attach two beams to a load cell as shown in Figure 10.
When using load cells, assemble your structure with the screws loose.
This will simplify the analysis by ensuring
that the members experience only tension and compression without moments.
See the instructions that came with the load cells for details about how to connect the load cells to an interface or
datalogger and collect data.
metal
clip
Road Bed
Starter
Bracket
Figure 9: Attaching the starter bracket to the
track (end view)
Mini-car
Starter Bracket
Mini-car
Figure 10: A load celll combined with two #2 beams is
the same length as a #4 beam