Re: plastic PASCO carts & short tracks

[Greg Puskar <gpuskar@WVU.EDU>]

At 01:50 PM 02/07/2001 -0800, you wrote:
> We are considering the purchase of a class set of the new PASCO dynamics
> cart/track systems. The new ones, "PAScars," are made of colored plastic,
> rather than metal like the "classic" ones. I would appreciate any comments
> regarding how good the plastic carts are in terms of durability,
> versatility, etc., compared to the classic metal carts.
>
> Also, we are thinking about getting the shorter (1.2 meter) tracks, rather
> than the longer (2.2 meter) ones. Are there any significant limitations
> imposed by the use of the shorter tracks?
>
> Since we will be getting an entire class set, the cost savings achieved by
> going with the plastic carts and shorter tracks in significant relative to
> our small budget, but I don't want to end up regretting a choice made
> entirely for economic reasons.
>
> Best wishes,
> Mike Ugawa
> St. Ignatius College Prep, San Francisco
> --

Mike,

        At the Winter AAPT Meeting, I asked Paul Stokstad about durability and he
promptly held one out at head height and dropped it on the floor (he may
have stood on it also but I may not be remembering correctly).  Granted it
was only one drop but it did not crack or break and seemed to work fine on
the track.  Note that there are 2 types of plastic carts: the PAScars have
the plungers and magnets like the older ones; the second type, called
GOcar, that does not have these things.
        If you can collect adequate data in a short run (eg, by using smaller
initial velocities or loaded carts) or if you do not have the taller lab
tables, a short track should work fine.  I like them because some of lab
rooms are small and the long tracks really can become an inconvenience, not
to mention a safety concern.

Greg
*************************************************************
Gregory Puskar                      gpuskar@wvu.edu
Academic Laboratory Manager                  (304)293-3422 x 1455
Physics Department                           (304)293-5732 (fax)
West Virginia University
PO Box 6315
Morgantown, WV 26506
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