The aim of this experiment was to determine the correlation between the three angles of incline and the acceleration of a trolley cart down an inclined plane. The first hypothesis predicted that as the angle of incline increased, the rate of acceleration of the trolley cart would also increase down the inclined plane. This was supported by the results in the experiment. The angle of 8.91⁰ had a theoretical acceleration of 1.52m s-2 and its highest velocity was 1.55m/s and the smaller angle of 3.84⁰ only had a theoretical acceleration of 0.66m s-2 and its highest velocity was 0.45 m/s. According to Newton’s second law, the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting upon it, using the formula F = m x a. In this experiment, the force acting upon the cart was gravitational force. …show more content…
The second hypothesis proposed that the greater the mass of the trolley cart, the larger the acceleration of the cart down the inclined plane. This was also supported by the data, the highest velocity of the lighter mass was 0.45 m/s and had an experimental acceleration of 0.35 m s-2 and the largest velocity of the heavier mass was 0.54 m/s with an experimental acceleration of 0.38 m s-2. Increasing the mass of an object only increases the force an object has; it has no effect on the acceleration of the object. The cart with the greater mass will have more gravitational potential energy on the inclined plane and there will be a stronger gravitational pull upon it, which will lead to more kinetic energy when the trolley is travelling down the inclined plane and so it will have a greater
The Greek Waiters tray is a unique apparatus to study. It uses the idea of centripetal force and centripetal acceleration to allow a waiter to effortlessly deliver drinks to a table without the fear of spilling them. The operation of this apparatus is also very unique.
In this experiment we positioned a marble ball on a wooden roller coaster positioned on a physics stand in the sixth hole. Throughout the experiment, we used an electronic timer to record the time of the marble where it passed through the light beam of its clamp. We positioned the clamp at a certain point on the roller coaster and measured the distance from the marble to the clamp; the height of the clamp; and finally the time the ball traveled through the clamp. After we recorded these different figures we calculated the speed of the marble from the given distance traveled and the time. We repeated the step 14 times, then proceeded to graph the speed and the height. Next, we took the measurements of position of the clamp, height, and speed and calculated the potential energy, the kinetic energy, and the total energy. Total energy calculated as mentioned before. Potential energy is taking the mass (m) which is 28.1g times gravity (g) which is 9.8 m/s2 times the height. Kinetic energy is one-half times the mass (m) times velocity (v2). Finally we graphed the calculated kinetic, potential, and total energies of this experiment.
Gravity is the force that attracts a roller coaster to the Earth and determines how far along the track it was pulled. When a roller coaster crests a hill, the gravity takes over and pulls it along the track at a “constant rate of 9.8 meters per second squared”(1) according to the website Wonderopolis’ article titled “How Do Roller Coasters Work?”. This numerical value, (or concept), is called the acceleration of gravity. It means that no matter the shape, size or mass of an object on Earth, gravity will pull it down at a rate of 9.8 meters every second, assuming there are no other interfering factors to mess with the decimal. In the article “How does Gravity work?” Tom Harris describes gravity and height’s relationship by stating, “As the coaster gets higher in the air, gravity can pull it down a greater distance” (1). This means that if a roller coaster were on top of a hill one thousand feet high, it would be pulled a lot further along the track by gravity than a coaster on a hill with a crest one hundred feet. Why? Because the coaster at one thousand feet has a stronger pull towards the Earth and can go farther because of it. The aspects of gravity, the acceleration of gravity and its relationship with height, are all important aspects of the force gravity. In conclusion, gravity is a vital, while fascinating, type of phenomena to observe in roller
Two factors contribute to the resistive frictional force; a normal force and the friction coefficient. The normal force is the force holding the person up keeping them from falling towards the center of the earth. On level ground the normal force acts straight up against the acceleration of gravity. On a slope, the normal force is equal to the force of gravity proportional to the cosine of the angle of the slope to horizontal. This portion of gravity attempts to accelerate the person toward the center of the earth, the normal force resists this acceleration. The remaining component of gravity accelerates the body down the hill parallel to the slope, a linear acceleration.
* I will then use a small pile of books and set the ramp up at the
The purpose of this experiment is to verify the accepted equation for the centripetal force of a mass during uniform circular motion. The hypothesis to be tested is that the calculated centripetal force for the stopper will be equal to the weight of the washers
the length of the slope can be used to calculate the speed of the car
For centuries, human beings have unknowingly used the very physics principles seen in the roller coasters of today in pursuit of not only thrills, but also survival. As early as 30000 years ago, our ancestors were using some of the most basic laws of physics seen in roller coasters today to their advantage. Although they didn’t quite understand why, when they threw a wooden spear high into the air at a woolly mammoth the spear would fall to the ground accelerating at every second. Of course, they were demonstrating gravitation. Physicists of the 16th century knew how to harness the law of gravity as well, using it to construct the first roller coaster- consisting of simple ice slides accelerating down 70-feet slopes before crashing into giant piles of sand (the latter part demonstrating another important physics principle: inertia.) As the centuries prog...
We ran into Newtons First Law, which claims that an object resists change in motion, as the marble rolled down the floor it didn’t stop until it was acted against by friction. As we moved on, Newtons Second Law came into play when we were creating our lever as we need a ball that would roll down with enough acceleration that it could knock down the objects. Newton’s second law claims, that F=MA. So, we choose a golf ball since it would have more mass than a rubber ball, but it would have less acceleration when the lever was started. This way, it would knock the upcoming objects. Newtons Third Law claims that every action yields an equal and opposite reaction. This is proven in our Rube Goldberg Machine when the small car was rolling down the tracks as the wheels pushes against the track making the track move backwards. The track provides an equal and opposite direction by pushing the wheels forward.
The circle of traction is a important racing concept with applications from physics. From newtons equation f=ma we know that the more force we apply to an o...
“Even though roller coasters propel you through the air, shoot you through tunnels, and zip you down and around many hills and loops, they are quite safe and can prove to be a great way to get scared, feel that sinking feeling in your stomach, and still come out of it wanting to do it all over again (1).” Thanks to the manipulation of gravitational and centripetal forces humans have created one of the most exhilarating attractions. Even though new roller coasters are created continuously in the hope to create breathtaking and terrifying thrills, the fundamental principles of physics remain the same. A roller coaster consists of connected cars that move on tracks due to gravity and momentum. Believe it or not, an engine is not required for most of the ride. The only power source needed is used to get to the top first hill in order to obtain a powerful launch. Physics plays a huge part in the function of roller coasters. Gravity, potential and kinetic energy, centripetal forces, conservation of energy, friction, and acceleration are some of the concepts included.
very strong just to hold its own weight, let alone the additional load of the elevator’s “car.” Until the
Explanation: The height of the ramp affects the speed and distance the ball rolls because the higher the ramp, the more gravitational potential energy the ball has, which is then transferred to kinetic energy. The length of the ramp affects the gradient, which affects the speed and distance the ball rolls. The surface of the ramp and marble cause friction, which affects the speed and distance the ball rolls. The weight and size of the marble affect the gravitational potential energy and the amount of friction, which affects the speed and distance the ball rolls.
We did not have a specific place on the ramp at where we would drop the mass pieces onto the trolley. We just dropped them anywhere on the ramp. The position of the collisions was different for all three trials which might have affected the results because the distance after the collisions was different for every collision. There was no consistency.
Law two can be used to calculate “the relationship between an objects mass (m), its acceleration (a), and the applied force (f) is F= ma.” This formula is used in all of the above components in the car.