User's Manual

®
Model No. ME-9452 Spare Parts
9
Spare Parts
You can order any of the major components of the system using the part numbers
listed in the table on page 5. For an assortment of smaller parts, the following kits are
available.
IDS Spares Kit (ME-9823) This kit includes assorted thumbscrews, square nuts,
and harmonic springs.
Cart Launcher Springs Kit (ME-6847) This kit includes four compression
springs and four release pins for the Spring Cart Launcher.
For help identifying a part, contact PASCO technical support (see page 34).
About the Experiments
These nine experiments can be done with the equipment included in the system and
other equipment commonly found in introductory physics labs. See each experiment
for a specific equipment list.
1. Conservation of Momentum in Explosions (page 11): Demonstrate conserva-
tion of momentum when two carts push off from each other.
2. Conservation of Momentum in Collisions (page 13): Demonstrate conserva-
tion of momentum in elastic and inelastic collisions.
3. Simple Harmonic Oscillator (page 15): Study how the period of oscillation of a
system varies with its mass.
4. Oscillations on an Incline (page 18): Study the oscillation of a cart attached to a
spring on an inclined track.
5. Springs in Series and Parallel (page 21): Examine how springs combined in
different ways affect the period of oscillation of a cart.
6. Launch Speed (page 23): Show qualitatively how the final speed of the plunger
cart depends on its mass and the initial compression of the plunger spring.
7. Newton’s Second Law (page 24): Show quantitatively how the acceleration of a
cart is related its mass and net force.
8. Acceleration Down an Incline (page 26): Determine the strength of earth’s
gravity (g) by measuring the acceleration of a cart on an inclined track.
9. Conservation of Energy (page 29): Use the spring cart launcher to launch a cart
up an incline. Compare the potential energy initially stored in the spring to the
maximum gravitational potential energy achieved by the cart.
Additional Experiment Suggestions (page 32): Many of these suggestions are varia-
tions on the above experiments. Some require additional carts.