Ticker Tape Timer

The Ticker Tape Timer is a piece of apparatus that we use to measure time. 

It makes dots on a paper tape. The amount of dots depends on its frequency. 
Ticker Tape Timer
Courtesy of SchoolPhysics
Note: 
  • We have to count the number of SPACES and not the number of dots themselves to measure the time taken. 
  • The first dot at the direction of movement is the starting dot.

Example:

A ticker tape timer makes 40 dots in 1 second. The result of an experiment to find the average speed of a toy car is shown below.
What is the average speed of the toy car?

Answer:
time = 1/40 * 10 = 0.25 s
speed = 0.6 / 0.25 = 2.4 m/s
Excel@Physics