The PASPORT Motion Sensor accurately measures the position, velocity, and acceleration of a target. It can be used to track the motion of balls, carts, people, and more.
See the Buying Guide for this item's required, recommended, and additional accessories.
Product Summary
The PASPORT Motion Sensor is used to measure the position, velocity, and acceleration of a target. The Motion Sensor can be set on a desktop, mounted to a rod stand, or attached to a PASCO Dynamics Track. The ultrasonic, pulse-ranging technology has a switch-selectable Standard Beam or Narrow Beam that rejects false signals for cleaner data collection.
Features
- Measures position, velocity, and acceleration
- False Target Rejection Technology collects clean data
- Switch-selectable short range and long range settings
- Snaps onto PASCO dynamics tracks
- Mounts to rods for easy positioning
- 360° pivoting head
Applications
- Discover the relationship between position, velocity, and acceleration
- Measure the motion of large objects, including students
- Monitor the sinusoidal motion of a mass on a spring
- Study conservation of energy and momentum during collisions
How It Works
An electrostatic transducer in the face of the Motion Sensor transmits a burst of 16 ultrasonic pulses with a frequency of about 49 kHz. The ultrasonic pulses reflect off the target and return to the face of the sensor. The target indicator flashes when the transducer detects an echo. The sensor measures the time between the trigger and echo rising edges, then, it uses this time and the speed of sound to calculate the object's distance. To determine velocity, it uses consecutive position measurements to calculate the rate of change. It similarly determines acceleration by using consecutive velocity measurements.
Product Specifications
Minimum Range | 0.15 meters |
Maximum Range | 8 meters |
Resolution | 1 mm |
Maximum Sample Rate | 250 Hz |
Transducer Rotation | 360° |
Narrow Near/Far Switch Settings | For distances up to 2 meters to reject false target signals or ignore air track noise. |
Standard Near/Far Switch Settings | For longer distances up to 8 meters. |
Cable Length | 1.8 meter |
Mounting Options | Non-skid rubber feet for table mount |
Maximum Ranges at Higher Sample Rates | 1.72 m (at 100 Hz); 0.86 m (at 200 Hz); 0.69 m (at 250 Hz) |
Data Collection Software
This product requires PASCO software for data collection and analysis. We recommend the following option(s). For more information on which is right for your classroom, see our Software Comparison: SPARKvue vs. Capstone »
Interface Required
This product requires a PASCO Interface to connect to your computer or device. We recommend the following option(s). For a breakdown of features, capabilities, and additional options, see our Interface Comparison Guide »
Buying Guide
Recommended Accessories | P/N | Price |
---|---|---|
Motion Sensor Guard | SE-7256 | -- |
Motion Sensor Bracket | PS-2546 | -- |
Cart Adapter Accessory | ME-6743 | -- |
Elastic Bumper | ME-8998 | -- |
Experiment Library
Perform the following experiments and more with the PASPORT Motion Sensor.
Visit PASCO's Experiment Library to view more activities.
Great Race
In this lab, students will race the Fan Cart and Motorized Cart.The Fan Cart gets off to a slow start, but has a constant acceleration. The Motorized Cart has a constant speed and initially pulls out ahead. But what determines...
Newton's Second Law
Newton's Second Law is examined by measuring the resulting acceleration of a fan cart under two conditions: Variable force (while keeping the mass constant) and variable mass (while keeping the force constant).
Position and Velocity
In this lab, students will investigate the relationship between position and velocity using a Motion Sensor to measure the position of a motorized cart.
Hooke's Law and Elastic Potential Energy
As the spring cart launcher is loaded, a force sensor and a motion sensor are used to measure the spring constant and the amount of potential energy stored in the compressed spring. Then cart is launched and its final kinetic...
Newton's Second Law
In this lab, students use a motion sensor to determine the relationship between a system’s mass, acceleration, and the net force being applied to the system.
Acceleration Due to Gravity
In this lab, students measure the acceleration of a cart moving down an incline, then, compare their measured value to the theoretical.
Simple Harmonic Motion
In this lab, students will use force and motion sensors to determine the spring constant. Students will measure the spring extension created by three different masses suspended from the spring.
Conservation of Energy
In this lab, students will use motion sensors to detect how energy is transformed in a dynamics system. Students will observe that the total energy of a system is conserved.
Intro to Measurement
In this lab, students will measure the period of a simple pendulum and use scientific methods to determine the relationships between the period of a pendulum and its length, the mass of the pendulum, and the amplitude of the pendulum’s...
Oscillation Equations of Motion
The motion of an oscillating mass is measured using a Motion Sensor, and graphs are produced of position, velocity and acceleration. The relative phase of each is examined, and compared to theory. Calculations are made for the...
Support Documents
Manuals | ||
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PASPORT Motion Sensor Manual | English - 982.25 KB | |
Knowledge Base | ||
Graph matching on a SPARK LXi2 with a PASPORT Motion Sensor | Sep 29th, 2023 | |
How to change display language in MatchGraph | Sep 18th, 2023 | |
Principle of Operation - Motion Sensor | Apr 14th, 2022 | |
Troubleshooting PASPORT and ScienceWorkshop Motion Sensors | Dec 2nd, 2022 | |
Use MatchGraph software on an older Macintosh computer | Sep 18th, 2023 | |
Use MatchGraph software on an older Windows computer | Sep 18th, 2023 |