A common way of analyzing the motion of objects in physics labs is to perform a ticker tape analysis. A long tape is attached to a moving object and threaded through a device that places a tick upon the tape at regular intervals of time - say every 0.10 second. As the object moves, it drags the tape through the "ticker," thus leaving a trail of dots. The trail of dots provides a history of the object's motion and therefore a representation of the object's motion.