Go!Motion
(Order Code GO-MOT)
Go! Motion is used to collect position, velocity, and
acceleration data of moving objects. Go! Motion’s USB
port allows for direct connection to a computer’s USB
port. Students can study a variety of motions with
Go! Motion, including
Walking toward and away from Go! Motion
Dynamics carts moving on track
Objects in simple harmonic motion, such as a mass hanging on a spring
Pendulum motions
Objects tossed upward or dropped
A bouncing object
Note:
Vernier products are designed for educational use. Our products are not
designed nor are they recommended for any industrial, medical, or commercial
process such as life support, patient diagnosis, control of a manufacturing
process, or industrial testing of any kind.
What's Included
Go! Motion detector
USB cable
Compatible Software and Interfaces
See
www.vernier.com/manuals/go-mot
for a list of interfaces and software compatible
with the Go! Motion.
Getting Started
1. Connect the sensor directly to the USB port of the computer.
2. Start the appropriate data-collection software (Logger
Pro
, Logger Lite,
LabQuest App) if not already running, and choose New from File menu.
The software will identify the sensor and load a default data-collection setup. You
are now ready to continue your experiment.
If you are collecting data using a Chromebook™, mobile device such as iPad
®
or
Android™ tablet, or a Vernier wireless sensor or interface, please see the following
link for up-to-date connection information:
www.vernier.com/start/go-mot
Using the Product
Connect the sensor following the steps in the Getting Started section of this user
manual.
Here are some suggestions for getting good results with the Go! Motion:
The Go! Motion is capable of measuring objects as close as 0.15 m and as far
away as 6 m. The short minimum target distance allows objects to get close to
the detector, which reduces stray reflections.
The Go! Motion has a pivoting head, which helps you aim the sensor
accurately. For example, if you wanted to measure the motion of a small toy
car on an inclined plane, you can lay the Motion Detector on its back and
pivot the Motion Detector head so that it is perpendicular to the plane.
The Go! Motion has a Sensitivity Switch, which is located under the pivoting
Go! Motion head. To access it, simply rotate the detector head away from the
detector body.
Slide the Sensitivity Switch to the right to set the switch to the Ball/Walk
setting. This setting is best used for experiments such as studying the
motion of a person walking back and forth in front of the Go! Motion, a
ball being tossed in the air, pendulum motion, and any other motion
involving relatively large distances or with objects that are poor reflectors
(e.g., coffee filters).
The other sensitivity setting, which we call Track, works well when
studying motion of carts on tracks like the Vernier Dynamics System, or
motions in which you want to eliminate stray reflections from objects near
to the sensor beam.
Videos
View videos related to this product at
www.vernier.com/go-mot
Calibration
You cannot perform a traditional two-point calibration of the Go! Motion. In most
cases, calibration is unnecessary. You can make several adjustments to the
readings by zeroing and changing the direction of the coordinate system. You can
find details on how to adjust Go! Motion readings at
www.vernier.com/til/2972
Specifications
Range
0.15 to 6 m
Resolution
1 mm
How the Sensor Works
The Go! Motion emits short bursts of ultrasonic sound waves from the gold foil of
the transducer. These waves fill a cone-shaped area about 15 to 20° off the axis of
the center line of the beam. Go! Motion then “listens” for the echo of these
ultrasonic waves returning to it. The equipment measures how long it takes for the
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