This will happen because the higher up the car is, the more potential energy it has, when it is released the potential energy is turned into kinetic energy, the more potential energy the car has the more kinetic energy it gets, the more kinetic energy the car had the further it will travel. The car will slow down eventually as the friction will get too great for the kinetic energy to keep it moving. this means the more energy the car has, the longer it takes to stop, so the higher the ramp, the further the stopping distance.
I will test the stopping distance on 5 different height ramps ranging from 0.37m to 0.77m, and I will repeat the experiment 5 times as to eliminate ant anomalous results.
Fair test-
To make sure the experiment is a fair test I will keep all non-variable aspects of the experiment the same (Ramp, stand, surface, toy car, ruler and where on the ramp the model starts) the only thing I will change is the ramp height.
Equipment-
In my experiment I will use:
- 2m length of guttering
- Small toy car
- Floor
- Ruler
- Stand
- Clamp
Method-
- set ramp on stand so starting point is 0.37m from the floor
- set the car at the top of the ramp
- let the car go down the ramp
- measure the distance from the bottom of the ramp to where the car stopped
- repeat steps 2-4 5 times
- change the ramp height to be 0.1m higher
- repeat until all 5 heights have been tested 5 times
Safety-
The toy cars can be unsafe if left lying around, so always keep an eye on them
and put them safe when not in use.
Results-
Conclusion-
The results show that my prediction was right, the higher the ramp the greater the stopping distance.
