In this piece of Coursework, my aim is to find out why and how certain factors affect the speed of a trolley at the end of a ramp.

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Alex Hall – RT2 - 03/05/07

Investigate the factors, which affect the speed of a trolley at the end of a ramp

Skill P:  Planning

In this piece of Coursework, my aim is to find out why and how certain factors affect the speed of a trolley at the end of a ramp.

Gravitational Potential Energy ( GPE ) is best described using the example of a diver.  The diver climbs up the ladder to the top of a diving board.  In order to get up to that height he uses mgh amount of Energy.  Where m=his mass, g=gravitational field strength and h=vertical height climbed.  When the diver stands on top of the diving board, he has mgh potential energy.  For this example we will say that the diver’s mass is 80kg, and the height he is jumping from is 10 meters.  We can therefore say that mgh = 80 x 10 x 10 = 8000J.  So the diver’s GPE at the top of the diving board is 8000J.  As a diver, we expect him to jump off the end of the board.  When he jumps, the vertical height is decreased; as this value goes down, so will the amount of potential energy that he had stored.  We know that energy cannot be created or destroyed, so where does this energy go?  As the diver falls, he gains speed; so we can assume that the energy lost is converted into kinetic energy ( KE ).  When the diver hits the water, his vertical height is 0 meters, so his potential energy is 0J.  We say that the diver has built up 8000J of kinetic energy.  The equation for kinetic energy is ½ mv².  I am going to try and prove that there is a direct link between Kinetic Energy and Gravitational Potential Energy.  We know that at the top of the board the diver’s GPE is 8000J.  If there is a direct link between GPE and KE, we must say that his KE at the surface of the water is 8000J. So to find v²:        8000 = ½ x mv²

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        8000 = ½ x 80 x v²

        v² = 8000/40 = 200

From the above calculation, we can say that v² = 200 m/s.  So my theory that there is a link between GPE and KE is proven.  For the equation of GPE, mass and gravitational field strength remains constant; and in the equation for KE, ½ m also stays constant.  If you change the height on one side, the squared speed will change on the other side.  The information above can be drawn together to aid my prediction.  I predict that as the height is increased, the speed of ...

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