last updated: 9/21/2002
(this sample is a composite with excerpts from the abstracts of several different Physics 21 students. Please note that this represents only one of many ways to write a good abstract, and you should be view it only as an example, not as a model to be followed exactly)
The acceleration of a glider sliding down an inclined air track was found by measuring the elapsed times (t) recorded by a computerized timer as a picket fence on the glider moved past a photogate. The corresponding distances (x) traveled by the glider were divided by the times and plotted as x/t vs. t. Assuming constant acceleration due to gravity, the equation x/t = v(0) + 1/2at, suggested a linear relationship and a best-fit line was drawn through the plotted points. Twice the slope of this line gave an acceleration of 38.89 cm/s^2. The velocity of the glider (62.89 cm/s), as it first passed through the photogate, was found from the y-intercept. These acceleration and velocity values were then used in the equation x-x(0) = (v^2)/2a to predict the release point of the glider. This prediction differed by only 4% from the value actually measured, thus confirming the accuracy of the acceleration and velocity values derived from the graph.