What is Multimedia MotionII?

Did you know that when a tennis ball is struck it accelerates at 1000 times the acceleration due to gravity? Or that a helium balloon released from rest accelerates faster than the space shuttle (at least initially)?

Learn about the Physics of motion by analysing vehicle crashes, sports impacts, a shuttle launch, toppling chimneys, laboratory projectiles and other real life events on your PC. The Multimedia MotionII CD-ROM brings movies and images from more than thirty motion sequences on to your monitor.

Using the software included with the package you can plot points on high resolution images taken from high speed film sequences to reveal the trajectories, and record the position and time coordinates of moving objects.

The data you collect can be tabulated and graphed. You can interpret the graphs of displacements, velocities and accelerations to establish forces and energy transformations, test conservation laws and perhaps make unexpected discoveries.

  • Every sequence is supported by an audio introduction and a text file which sets out the underlying principles of Physics.
  • Extensive help files summarise all the fundamental laws and relationships needed in an introductory course on kinematics and dynamics.
  • Data, graphs and all text can be printed or exported to other applications.

With Multimedia Motion II you can apply and extend your knowledge of Physics by making investigations of events which are normally outside the realm of the teaching laboratory or the home based student.

Analysing a vehicle crash
The analysis starts with your selection of the point in the image you wish to study.
In this case the motion of the crash dummy's head will be followed.

  • Using the mouse, point and click to plot a data point on the head. The coordinates of the point are displayed on the screen and recorded in a data file.

  • Now step through the images in the sequence and plot the position of the head on selected frames. Use your experimental skills to position the points accurately and to decide on appropriate time intervals between successive points. (Guidance is available in the Help files if you are uncertain about this.)

  • Once you have collected the data you require, you are ready to plot graphs and analyse the event.

  • The graphs of the x components of displacement, velocity and acceleration of the head reveal that the driver in this impact would almost certainly have been killed.

  • The velocity graph shows that the head does not start to slow down until 0.15s after the start of the sequence, and has started to rebound before 0.25s. It reaches a maximum rebound speed of about 5 metres per second, before again slowing to about 2 meters per second.
  • To put it in words, the head experiences a violent impact from the front followed by a whiplash from the neck.

  • The acceleration graph confirms this. The negative acceleration peaks at over 30xg followed by a whiplash of over 5xg. Accelerations of more than 20xg are usually fatal.