Viability of a low-cost solution for linear air track: a comparative study

Abstract Linear air tracks are essential experimental tools used in undergraduate laboratory courses. They facilitate the exploration of kinematic and dynamic topics in a frictionless environment. While commercial air track systems require significant investment, affordable alternatives are valuable for making such apparatuses accessible to high schools and universities. We test and compare a low-cost air track made from medium density fibreboard (MDF) wood as a possible alternative. In this manuscript, we performed new experiments on the uniformly accelerated motion of a glider in an inclined plane to compare the friction of the MDF air track with that of a commercial one. We tested the built and commercial gliders and air tracks for angles of 1, 2, and 5 degrees. Our findings revealed that the friction was about 10 − 4 for all setups analysed. We also observed the influence of air drag on the glider’s movement and attempted to quantify it using the quadratic velocity air drag model. Overall, the results indicate only a slight difference between the MDF air track and the commercial version, suggesting that the MDF air track is a viable and cost-effective alternative to commercial systems.