Aaron Titus
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Video Analysis

Camera

Our camera is a Casio Exilim EX-F1. Unfortunately, I'm not sure they sell it anymore. However, at

http://exilim.casio.com/config.shtml

you'll see the EX-FH25 and EX-FH20 which are similar. They will do up to 1000 frames per second. But notice how cheap they are: $274-$349.

Video Analysis Software

I highly recommend the free, open-source program Tracker (http://www.cabrillo.edu/~dbrown/tracker/) which is well-maintained and supported by the author, Doug Brown, and the Open Source Physics developers. Students can create a theoretical model by defining the force on an object and the initial conditions and can compare the theoretical model with the motion of the object.

For commercial video analysis software, I recommend Logger Pro by Vernier (http://www.vernier.com/soft/lp.html). Its license is a site license that covers your classroom and home computers for you and your students. This allows students to install it on their laptops, for example. Its advantage is that students can use the same software for data collection with sensors.

Videos

Here are some videos we've used at HPU in our physics labs or for undergraduate research or for demos. For videos not produced at HPU, we list the author and source for the video.

Constant velocity rolling ball - slow
A steel ball rolls with a constant velocity on an aluminum track with negligible friction. Its speed is approximately 0.32 m/s. The length of the track, measured from end to end, is 2.2 m.

recording speed: 30fps
area: Newton's second law; uniform motion
video credit: Aaron Titus

uniform-motion-ball-slow.mov
uniform-motion-ball-slow.pdf
uniform-motion-ball-slow.trk

 

Constant velocity rolling ball - fast
A steel ball rolls with a constant velocity on an aluminum track with negligible friction. Its speed is approximately 0.53 m/s. The length of the track, measured from end to end, is 2.2 m.

recording speed: 30fps
area: Newton's second law; uniform motion
video credit: Aaron Titus

uniform-motion-ball-fast.mov
uniform-motion-ball-fast.trk

 

Soccer ball shot from truck - Mythbusters
A soccer ball is shot from the back of a truck with the same speed as the truck. Thus, the ball's initial velocity measured by a person on the ground is zero, and it falls from rest. I do not yet have a calibration to use for this video, and I do not know the frames per second of the recording.

recording speed: ?
area: Relativity; Galilean relativity
video credit: Mythbusters

soccer-ball-shot-from-truck-Mythbusters.mov

 

Basketball shot
A basketall travels from the player's hand to the floor. Use the 2-m stick on the base of the wall for calibration.

recording speed: 30 fps
area: Newton's Second Law; projectile motion
video credit: Vernier LoggerPro CD

basketball.mov
basketball.pdf
basketball.cmbl

 

Fancart - constant force
A fan exerts a constant force on a cart. (The video also shows a second cart that moves with a constant velocity.) The acceleration of the fancart is approximately 0.19 m/s2.

recording speed: 5 fps
area: Newton's second law; constant net force
video credit: RIT LivePhoto Physics Series (http://livephoto.rit.edu/)

fancart.mov
fancart.pdf
fancart.cmbl

 

Impact force during landing (long dt)
A person jumps from a table and lands on the floor. From his motion, the force by the floor on the person can be calculated. In this video, his knees bend as much as possible upon landing.

recording speed: 30 fps
area: Newton's second law; constant net force
video credit: Aaron Titus

landing-long.mov
landing-long.pdf
landing-long.trk

 

Impact force during landing (short dt)
A person jumps from a table and lands on the floor. From his motion, the force by the floor on the person can be calculated. In this video, his knees bend a small amount upon landing.

recording speed: 30 fps
area: Newton's second law; constant net force
video credit: Aaron Titus

landing-short.mov
landing-short.pdf
landing-short.trk

 

Collision of two carts
A one-dimensional collision of two carts on a track.

recording speed: 30fps
area: Newton's second law; conservation of momentum
video credit: RIT LivePhoto Physics Series (http://livephoto.rit.edu/)

collision-carts.mov
collision-carts.cmbl

 

Two-dimensional collision of two pucks
A two-dimensional collision of two pucks on an air-hockey table.

recording speed: 30fps
area: Newton's second law; conservation of momentum
video credit: Flashmedia

collision-pucks.mov
collision-pucks.cmbl

 

Circular motion of a car
A car travels around a roundabout. A bobber in a jar of water sitting on the dashboard floats in the direction of the acceleration of the car.

recording speed: 30fps
area: Newton's second law; uniform circular motion
video credit: Dale Basler (www.dalebasler.com)

car-roundabout.mov

 

Uniform circular motion of a bicycle wheel
A bicycle wheel is held by its axle and rotates with nearly constant speed.The first frame is used to set the calibration. Motion begins in the second frame. The video is recorded at 300 fps but plays back at 30 fps.

recording speed: 300fps
area: Newton's Second Law; uniform circular motion
video credit: Aaron Titus and Martin DeWitt

bicycle-wheel.mov
bicycle-wheel.pdf
bicycle-wheel.trk

 

Bicycle wheel gyroscope
A bicycle wheel is held by its axle. When released, the wheel precesses. There are two parts of the motion. (1) Before it is released, a point on the wheel is in uniform circular motion and its period and angular frequency can be measured by a sinusoidal fit to x vs. t. (2) After it is released, the wheel precesses. Though it precesses in the third dimension, the axle can be marked every 1/4 of a precession, and x vs. t for the axle can be graphed to determine the precessional frequency . As a result, its precessional frequency can be determined. The video was recorded at 300 fps.

recording speed: 300fps
area: Angular Momentum Principle; gyroscope
video credit: Aaron Titus

bicycle-wheel-gyro-300fps.mov
bicycle-wheel-gyro-300fps.pdf
bicycle-wheel-gyro-300fps.trk

 

Pendulum
Though the video shows three oscillations, it is easiest to analyze one half of an oscillation. Though oscillations are not very small, angles are small enough that a sinusoidal fit can be used for θ vs. t to determine the angular frequency. This video can be analyzed in a multiltude of ways. For example, τ vs. α is linear, and the slope can be used to determine the moment of inertia of the pendulum. The center of mass is approximately at the location of the green sticker, though closer to the top edge of the sticker.

recording speed: 30fps
area: Angular Momentum Principle; Pendulum
video credit: Aaron Titus

pendulum.mov
pendulum.pdf
pendulum.cmbl

 

Figure Skater Spin
A figure skater performs a "scratch spin." Since the net torque on the skater is approximately zero, her angular momentum is conserved.

recording speed: 300fps
area: Angular Momentum Principle; conservation of angular momentum
video credit: Ashley Press and Aaron Titus

figure-skater-spin-300fps.mov
figure-skater-spin.pdf

 

Coriolis effect - motion of a ball on a merry-go-round
A ball rolls on a rotating merry-go-round. In a stationary frame, its velocity is constant witih a magnitude of approximately 1.3 m/s (assuming a merry-go-round diameter of 2 m). You must estimate the diameter of the merry-go-round in order to calibrate distances in the video.

This lab is written as inquiry. Students should also download the video corioliskraft.mov

recording speed: 30fps
area: Newton's first law; uniform motion, reference frames
video credit: Video found on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAX3ALdienQ

coriolis-merry-go-round-ball.mov
video-coriolis.pdf
video-coriolis.trk

 

Inertial and non-inertial reference frames
The video shows an accelerating fancart and a cart moving with uniform motion. By transforming the reference frame to one of the carts, you can measure the motion of the other cart and determine whether you are in an inertial or non-inertial reference frame.

recording speed: 5fps
area: Newton's first law; inertial and non-inertial reference frames
video credit: RIT LivePhoto Physics Series http://livephoto.rit.edu/

two-carts.mov
two-carts.pdf
two-carts.trk

 
High Point University       Last modified:   5/24/13 11:23 AM