Factors affecting the speed of a trolley

This essay hasn't yet been marked by one of our teachers

You can view all our essays on Mechanics & Radioactivity that have been Marked by Teachers

The first 200 words of this essay...

Factors affecting the speed of a trolley

Travelling down a ramp

Factors such as; type of surface of ramp, height of ramp, weight/mass of trolley and the gradient or angle of a ramp all affect the speed of a trolley as it travels down a ramp. For instance a trolley may accelerate faster down a ramp on smooth wood rather than on carpet because carpet might provide greater friction for the tyres rather than the smooth wood. Out of all these factors, I am going to pick just 1 factor and alter it 5 different times, doing 3 trials for each time. We have also done some preliminary work on ticker - timers, so in my investigation I am going to expand on the notion of ticker - timers and incorporate my knowledge of ticker - timers in to this investigation.

Aim: To investigate the relationship between the speed of the trolley as it travels down the ramp and the gradient of the ramp.

Hypothesis: I believe that the speed of the trolley travelling down the ramp will increase as the gradient of the ramp is increased. This is because of several different