Travel Time Measurement for Uniformly Accelerated Rectilinear Motion Based on Infrared Sensor

Abstract

This study evaluates the accuracy and precision of an infrared (IR) sensor system applied to measure uniformly accelerated linear motion (GLBB) using an Atwood machine. The system utilizes IR sensors to detect travel time. The measured travel times are compared against values ​​obtained via stopwatch and those derived from the theoretical formulation of Newton's Second Law. Measurements were conducted across seven distance variations, ranging from 0.20 m to 0.50 m at 0.05 m intervals. The results demonstrate an average accuracy of 99.31% when comparing sensor measurements to theoretical values, with a mean percentage error of 0.69%. Comparisons with stopwatch measurements—using the stopwatch as the reference value—show an average accuracy of 96.52%; this indicates that sensor-based measurements are more accurate than manual stopwatch timing, which is susceptible to human error. Repeated measurements at distances of 0.20 m and 0.30 m yielded stable readings, with a relative error of 0.17%. These findings demonstrate that the IR sensor-based timing system is capable of measuring travel time accurately and consistently, while also mitigating timing errors associated with manual stopwatch usage.