To investigate how changing the height of a ramp affects the average speed of a trolley.

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Aim:

To investigate how changing the height of a ramp affects the average speed of a trolley.  

Prediction:

I predict that if you increase the height of the ramp the speed of the trolley will increase as well.

Reason:

My reason for the experiment is that of the theory:

Potential energy lost = Kinetic Energy gained

So when an object rolls down an incline; the object is becoming lower to the ground, therefore the potential energy decreases and transfers into kinetic energy, until it gets to the ground where a complete energy transfer has taken place into kinetic energy.

These Diagrams will help:

This shows a trolley going down ramps with two different heights. There is an energy transfer happening. At the top of the ramp in both diagrams the transference of potential energy into kinetic energy has not taken place. However when the trolley starts to roll down the incline the transference begins, when it is half way down the ramp the energy is shared equally. From then on the kinetic energy is gaining more and more over the potential therefore becoming faster and faster, and then the trolley reaches the end of the incline, now a complete energy transference has taken place.

As you can see the higher the ramp the more potential energy there is consequently there is more kinetic energy being transferred making the trolley go faster.

The formula for PE is (M x g) x h and the formula for KE is ½ MV2. I have rearranged the formula to get velocity on its own this means I can prove my reason just by putting different heights into the equation.

Potential Energy Lost = Kinetic Energy Gained

PE = KE This just means, when something falls its potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, hence the further it falls the faster it goes.

PE = KE

mgh = ½ MV2

V2  = mgh

       ½ x m

V2  = mgh

       ½ x m

 

V2  = gh

         ½

V = (2 x gh)

V = (2gh)

  h = 5.0M

  g = 10 m/s2

  V = (2gh)

  V = (2x10x5)

  V = 10 m/s

  h = 7.5M

  g = 10 m/s2

  V = (2gh)

  V = (2x10x7.5)

  V = 12.3 m/s

  h = 10.0M

  g = 10 m/s2

  V = (2gh)

  V = (2x10x10)

  V = 14.1 m/s

As you can see I have proved my prediction, as the velocity increases when the height increases.

Diagram:

Equipment List:

  • Ramp
  • 2 clamp stands
  • Light gate
  • Meter Rule
  • Pencil
  • Easy sense input board
  • Trolley
  • Laptop + Timing Program

Prior Experiment 

Before the experiment we chose certain things for different reasons. We chose to have ten different heights of 15cm-65cm going up in intervals of five. We chose ten because we could get an array of results, this would make our experiment more accurate, also we chose to go up in intervals of five because its not too big or small a number. If we would have decided to up in tens we would not get such a variety of results, also we would have reached the limit of the clamp stands height. However if we would of decided to go up in intervals smaller then 5 we would not of reached the full height of the clamp stand so the range of results would not of been as big.

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  We went up to 65cm because it’s the highest the clamp stand will go and we started at 15cm because below that the trolley will hardly move.

  We have chosen to use a light gate as we found it a much more accurate method of measuring as it can measure to the nearest 100th of a second. Rather than measuring the run off distance with a ruler which measures to the nearest mm, and timing it with a stopwatch using the your finger to stop it which can only measure on average to the nearest second.

  We ...

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