Speeding Past School - Science

Aim: To see if there are any cars that are speeding past school (HHS). 

Method. 

1. Measure distance ... power pole  ---> power pole = 50m

2. Time how long it takes a car to travel this distance. 

- "Flag person" indicates when the car passes their pole. 

- "Timer person" starts when the car passes and stops when the car passes their pole. 

- "Writer person," writes down times. 

3.  Collect 10 times. 

4. Calculate speed in m/s ---> convert to km/hr.

5. Are there any speeders?

Results: 

Speed	Car 1	Car 2	Car 3	Car 4	Car 5	Car 6	Car 7	Car 8	Car 9	Car 10	Average
Time (s)	04.69	3.59	4.50	4.40	5.40	4.15	6.09	3.77	3.43	5.02	4.504
m/s-1	0.6	13.9	11.1	11.3	9.25	12	13.2	14.5	9.96	8.21	11.402
km/hr-1	38.1	50	39.90	33.3	43.2	29.5	47.5	52.2	35.8	40.9	46.01

Conclusion:

As the speed limit around the school is 50kmph, there was only one car that drove past the speeding limit, which is car 8. Police enforce a 4km/h tolerance of the posted speed limit outside schools. However, 46.01 km/hr being the average speed; it is not speeding. 

1. What was the average speed of the cars you measured?

The average speed of cars was 46.01 km/hr. 

2. Should the Principal be worried about speeding on this road?

I believe that the Principal shouldn't be worried about speeding, as it doesn't happen constantly around the school. However, going 52 km/hr is still considered speeding, but not to a great amount. 

3. Outline how you could improve this investigation and make it more accurate.

By using a proper speed detecting device, we would be able to detect the velocity of vehicles more accurately than timing. I also believe that we should measure different car types, as there multiple car types.