Texas A&M University

• ENGR 216

• LAB 2: VISUAL ODOMETRY Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843, US. Abstract In this lab report we will cover the concept of gravitational acceleration. With the use of tracking camera and the interface on computer we will calculate the gravitational acceleration. In addition to that we will convert the pixels of the object that we are going to release in order to find the acceleration into pixels to find its position. Then we apply the simple calculus to find the velocity and the acceleration by taking the derivative of position. Once we get these elements, we will calculate the gravity with its uncertainty. Keywords: Velocity, Acceleration, Gravity 1. Introduction The goal of this lab is to get familiar with the concept of gravitational acceleration by finding the position of the object and then their velocities and accelerations. We will apply the fundamental theorem of calculus to find these elements. We will use the derivatives to find the velocity by using position and then velocity to find the acceleration. And in the end, we will use all these elements to find the gravitational acceleration. The second major concept that we are going to deal with is the concept of vectors. We will use the vectors to find the position of the objects. This problem is a 2-dimensional problem that includes the x and y-axis, so we will use the vectors to find the position of the object and then other elements like velocity and acceleration. Another concept that we are going to utilize in this experiment is the concept of uncertainty. Uncertainty is a small error that one can find any calculation. As we all are human and our calculation cannot be accurately complete, so have to find the percentage of error that we have made in our experiment. The important equations that we are going to use in our experiment include magnitude, velocity, acceleration, gravitational acceleration, and uncertainty along with the results. Magnitude of the vector = sqrt((x2-x1) ^2 +(y2-y1) ^2) Velocity= dx/dv = x2-x1/change in time. Acceleration = dv/da = v2-v1/change in time. Gravitational Acceleration = g = ay/sin 2. Experimental Procedure The procedure that we have used for this experiment was very simple and easy. To perform this experiment, we will use the computer interface named MobaXterm. This interface will provide the information on an excel file through which we will use the data and calculate the elements that we need for this experiment. In order to start this experiment, we have to set the height of the camera from the surface of the table. This