• The teacher should discuss the "Normal" Force for part 1 of the setup either before or after the lab. Students may point out (correctly) that the force being measured is actually a force of tension. However, address the fact that this force is equivalent to the normal force.
  
  
• For classes that are about one hour long, this experiment should be done on two separate days. Make sure students use the same car each day.
  
  
• For Part 1 of the lab, it is absolutely essential for the car to remain suspended above the track and to remain parallel to the track.
  
  
• The rigging that holds up the "Normal" Force Sensor can consist of just one vertical rod. However, two rods are more stable.
  
  
• For Part 2 of the lab, the car travels quickly down the tracks at the higher angles. Students should either catch the car before it strikes the lab station or place something on the lab station to catch the car.
  
  
• In the DataStudio file, there are many windows. Students may need to minimize many of them before starting the lab. Make sure they do not delete any of the windows.

Downloads:

• To download the "Newton's Incline" DataStudio files with sample data for this experiment,
  click on Windows (Zip file) or Macintosh (Stuffit file).