Investigation into how the height of a ramp or the mass of the buggy affects the time it takes for the buggy to travel to the bottom of the ramp.

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Adrian Hall

Investigation into how the height of a ramp or the mass of the buggy affects the time it takes for the buggy to travel to the bottom of the ramp

Planning

Simple Plan
I will time how long it takes for the buggy to travel down a ramp of different heights, and see how long it takes to travel down the ramp when its mass is changed.

Fair Test
I will ensure this experiment is kept fair by keeping all of the conditions the same, apart from the variables which I will be measuring which will either be the height of the ramp or the mass of the buggy.

Height – These will be kept the same:

  • The length of the ramp.
  • The time when the experiment is done.
  • The buggy.
  • The ramp.
  • The stop clock.
  • The start and finish points on the ramp.
  • The mass of the trolley.

Mass - These will be kept the same:

  • The length of the ramp.
  • The time when the experiment is done.
  • The buggy.
  • The ramp.
  • The stop clock.
  • The start and finish points on the ramp.
  • The height of the trolley.

Prediction

Height

I think that the higher the ramp is, the faster the buggy will travel down the ramp. This is because the higher the buggy is placed, the more G.P.E (gravitational potential energy) it will have, thus making it travel faster down the ramp.

Mass

I think that no matter how much mass the buggy has it will always travel down the ramp at the same speed because despite it been heavier, it takes more force to make it move and therefore I think the speed will stay the same.

Variables

Height: 10cm, 15cm, 20cm, 25cm, 30cm.

Mass: 100g, 200g, 300g, 400g and 500g.

Equipment

  • Buggy.
  • Ramp.
  • Measuring stick (1m).
  • Stop clock.
  • Pen and paper.
  • 5 masses – 100g, 200g, 300g, 400g and 500g.
  • 5 boxes (for heights) - 10cm, 15cm, 20cm, 25cm, 30cm.

Diagram

Method

The equipment will be setup like in the diagram above, starting with the first required height (10cm). Then the start and finish lines will be set, then put the buggy on the start line and prepare to start the stop clock, when the buggy is released start the timer, and when the buggy has travelled down the ramp to the end line, stop the stop clock. This will be repeated 3 times for each height: 10cm, 15cm, 20cm, 25cm, 30cm. For the experiment, the same will be done, except the height will stay the same and the masses placed on the buggy will be: 100g, 200g, 300g, 400g and 500g. After, we will get the averages from all the results we have collected.

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Observing

Safety

As we were using masses, equipment which were quite high in the air (above the desk) and moving equipment, we were careful when participating in the tests. We used some fabrics at the bottom of the ramp so that the buggy did not come off the ramp and smash into any thing. The tests were in the presence of a qualified teacher.

Results

Measurements and Observations

Whilst we were doing the tests, we made careful measurements and observations of the apparatus and that we had measured ...

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