The set up for the lab is a modified Atwood machine that use a falling mass to provide the torque to spin a tube with two "point" masses attached. They can be placed anywhere along the tube and locked in position with a nylon set screw. A 50.0 g hanging mass then turns the tube at its center of mass which is connected to a rotary motion sensor. Capstone produces beautiful data of the acceleration of the tube as it rotates. A second experiment is conducted where a bar is attached and rotated the same way but the axis of rotation is changed from the center of mass to explore the Parallel Axis Theorem. This is a fun lab with challenging concepts presented in an easily observable manner.
