Analyzing Ball's Vertical Displacement on a Ramp

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on analyzing vertical displacement data collected from a ball rolling down a ramp. The data includes horizontal displacements and corresponding vertical displacements from multiple tests, revealing anomalies that affect the accuracy of averages. The participant attempts to remove these anomalies visually but finds the resulting graph unsatisfactory. They also mention using a formula based on energy conversion assumptions, which complicates error analysis. Suggestions include using a statistical calculator to plot means and error bars for better data representation and trend analysis.
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Homework Statement



Basically i have been given a set of data to analyse. The data was collected by rolling a ball of a ramp. The ramp is set on a table and the edge of the ramp is parralel to the table. The ball then travels through the air until it hits a piece of carbon paper. The vertical displacement is then measured and recorded in relation to the horizontal displacement which is the spacing from the edge of the ramp to the board with the carbon paper on. This is the data that i have been given.
x
0.100 2.0 6.5 10.0 14.0 14.5
0.200 18.5 48.5 53.5 51.0 47.0
0.300 57.0 60.0 64.5 90.5 94.5
0.400 118.5 134.5 160.5 168.0 159.0
0.500 210.5 228.0 228.0 217.0 241.0
0.600 336.0 394.5 356.0 348.5 392.5
0.700 447.0 501.0 514.0 558.0 532.5
0.800 587.5 683.0 714.0 601.0 605.5

the first colum is the horizontal displacement in meters the other 4 colums are the 5 tests carried out with the horizontal displacement at the set value. These are the different vertical displacments in mm from that horizontal displacment.

Basically iIknow that there are a lot of anomolies in the data and I want to remove them so I can produce an accurate average.

Homework Equations



Im not sure if this would help but i produced an equation to work out the vertical displacement at different horizontal displacements. y being the vertical displacement and x being the horizontal displacement. I also assumed that all potential energy is converted into kinetic energy which is obviously not true

y=gx^2/2v^2 g being the the value for the gravitational field strength 3. The Attempt at a Solution [/b

I first tried to remove the anomolies visually from the table removing the ones which didnt seem to fit with the other ones but this gave me a terrible average graph which wasnt smooth at all. At the moment I am trying to use the formulas to work out error bars but as i have mad the assumption that all potential energy is converted into kinetic this doesn't work.

Help would be much appreciated Thanks J
 
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have you got a statistical calculator? If not I would try plotting the means along with error bars on semi-log paper. try to get a best fit, and see what the slope is.
 

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