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Methods for Measuring Speed

The document explains three methods for measuring speed: Light Gates, which use beams of light to time an object's passage; Speed-Trap Guns, which utilize radar to measure the speed of moving vehicles; and satellite tracking, which calculates speed by comparing a vehicle's position over time. Each method relies on the basic formula of Speed = Distance ÷ Time, employing different technologies to gather the necessary data. Overall, they all aim to determine how far an object moves and the time it takes to do so.

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28 views1 page

Methods for Measuring Speed

The document explains three methods for measuring speed: Light Gates, which use beams of light to time an object's passage; Speed-Trap Guns, which utilize radar to measure the speed of moving vehicles; and satellite tracking, which calculates speed by comparing a vehicle's position over time. Each method relies on the basic formula of Speed = Distance ÷ Time, employing different technologies to gather the necessary data. Overall, they all aim to determine how far an object moves and the time it takes to do so.

Uploaded by

esjsj37
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Simple Explanations of Ways to Measure Speed

1. Light Gates
What it is: Two gates with beams of light shining across them.
- When an object passes through the first light gate, it blocks the light beam and
starts a timer.
- When it goes through the second light gate, it blocks that beam too and stops the
timer.
- The system knows the distance between the gates.
- Speed = Distance ÷ Time, so it calculates the speed using the time it took to go
from the first gate to the second.

2. Speed-Trap Gun (Radar Gun)


What it is: A handheld device that looks like a small gun, often used by police.
- The gun sends out a beam of radio waves towards a moving vehicle.
- These waves bounce back off the vehicle.
- A computer inside the gun measures how long the waves took to go out and come
back, and how their frequency changed.
- It uses this info to calculate how fast the vehicle is moving.

3. Measuring Speed from Space


What it is: Uses satellites and a tracker in the vehicle.
- A small device (tracker) in the vehicle sends its position to a satellite.
- The satellite sends this info back to Earth.
- By comparing the vehicle’s position at different times, we can see how far it
moved and how long it took.
- Again: Speed = Distance ÷ Time, so a computer figures out the speed based on
those positions and times.

Each method just finds out how far something moves and how long it takes, then uses
those to find the speed. They just use different tools to do it—light, radar, or
satellites!

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