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New
Measuring instantaneous speed practical (v = s ÷ t)
I can accurately measure the instantaneous speed of a dynamics trolley.
Lesson 2 of 12
New
New
- Year 10
- AQA
Measuring instantaneous speed practical (v = s ÷ t)
I can accurately measure the instantaneous speed of a dynamics trolley.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- A dynamics trolley speeds up (accelerates) along the whole length of a steep ramp.
- Instantaneous speed is the average speed over a very short time period.
- Instantaneous speed can be estimated by measuring movement in a small time period.
- Anomalous readings should be repeated and replaced or removed from sets of repeat readings.
Keywords
Dynamics trolley - A dynamics trolley is a wheeled device used in experiments to study motion, designed to move smoothly over flat surfaces.
Average speed - The average speed of an object is the total distance travelled divided by the total time taken for a journey.
Instantaneous speed - The instantaneous speed of an object is its speed at a specific moment in time.
Anomalous reading - An anomalous reading is a result that is significantly outside the expected pattern in a set of results.
Common misconception
When the trolley is released, it speeds up quickly at the start and then rolls at a constant speed.
Show a video of an accelerating trolley in slow motion identifying the distance travelled in successive equal intervals of time.
Measuring short time periods is difficult. To give the pupils a better chance of measuring the times accurately, the trolley should be moving fairly slowly, this can be achieved by making sure the ramps are not too steep and using a 'small distance' of 20 cm.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Content guidance
- Risk assessment required - equipment
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Izzy rode her bike for 3 hours and travelled 45 kilometres.
What was her average speed?
Izzy rode her bike for 3 hours and travelled 45 kilometres.
What was her average speed?
10 km/h
20 km/h
25 km/h
Q2.Lucas rides his bike for 4 hours with an average speed of 15 km/h. He travelled at a speed of 10 km/h for the first two hours.
What speed must he have been travelling at for the last two hours?
Lucas rides his bike for 4 hours with an average speed of 15 km/h. He travelled at a speed of 10 km/h for the first two hours.
What speed must he have been travelling at for the last two hours?
10 km/h
between 10 km/h and 15 km/h
15 km/h
Q3.Which of the graphs shows an object moving with increasing speed (accelerating)?
Which of the graphs shows an object moving with increasing speed (accelerating)?
Q4.Andeep ran 20 metres in 5 seconds then slowed down and walked 5 metres in the next 5 seconds.
What was his average speed for the first 5 seconds?
Andeep ran 20 metres in 5 seconds then slowed down and walked 5 metres in the next 5 seconds.
What was his average speed for the first 5 seconds?
1 m/s
2.5 m/s
5 m/s
Q5.Andeep ran 20 metres in 5 seconds then slowed down and walked 5 metres in the next 5 seconds.
What was his average speed for the whole 10 seconds?
Andeep ran 20 metres in 5 seconds then slowed down and walked 5 metres in the next 5 seconds.
What was his average speed for the whole 10 seconds?
1 m/s
4 m/s
5 m/s
Q6.Aisha cycles to school three days in a row. Her speeds are shown on the bar chart.
What is her average speed for the journey to school?
Aisha cycles to school three days in a row. Her speeds are shown on the bar chart.
What is her average speed for the journey to school?
2.0 m/s
4.0 m/s
5.0 m/s
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the key words or phrases to their definitions.
Match the key words or phrases to their definitions.
Q2.Which of these statements about instantaneous and average speed is correct?
Which of these statements about instantaneous and average speed is correct?
The instantaneous speed of an object is always less than the average speed.
The instantaneous speed of an object is always greater than the average speed.
The instantaneous speed of an object is always the same as the average speed.
The instantaneous speed of an object is constant during a journey.
Q3.A student investigates the relationship between the steepness of a ramp and the instantaneous speed of a trolley at the end of the ramp. Which of these are control variables for the investigation?
A student investigates the relationship between the steepness of a ramp and the instantaneous speed of a trolley at the end of the ramp. Which of these are control variables for the investigation?
The speed of the trolley at the end of the ramp.
The steepness of the ramp.
Q4.A trolley rolls down a ramp and passes between two markers that are 20 cm apart in a time of 0.25 s.
Calculate the speed of the trolley in m/s.
A trolley rolls down a ramp and passes between two markers that are 20 cm apart in a time of 0.25 s.
Calculate the speed of the trolley in m/s.
Q5.A pupil collects the following set of timing data for a moving object: 0.25 s, 0.23 s, 0.35 s, 0.22 s, 0.21 s.
Which calculation should the pupil use to find the mean time?
A pupil collects the following set of timing data for a moving object: 0.25 s, 0.23 s, 0.35 s, 0.22 s, 0.21 s.
Which calculation should the pupil use to find the mean time?
mean time = (0.25 + 0.23 + 0.35 + 0.22 + 0.21) ÷ 5
mean time = (0.25 + 0.23 + 0.22 + 0.21) ÷ 5
mean time = (0.25 + 0.23 + 0.35 + 0.22 + 0.21) ÷ 4
mean time = (0.25 + 0.23 + 0.35 + 0.22) ÷ 4
Q6.A trolley rolls down a ramp passing between two markers, 0.20 m apart. The following results are collected: 0.17 s, 0.18 s, 0.17 s, and 0.20 s.
Calculate the mean instantaneous speed for the trolley.
A trolley rolls down a ramp passing between two markers, 0.20 m apart. The following results are collected: 0.17 s, 0.18 s, 0.17 s, and 0.20 s.
Calculate the mean instantaneous speed for the trolley.
0.18 m/s
1.0 m/s
0.35 m/s
0.28 m/s
