Investigation of the Speed of a Trolley Down a Ramp and Its Gradient

Investigation of the Speed of a Trolley Down a Ramp and Its Gradient

In this investigation I will be testing how the speed of the trolley

is affected by the gradient of the ramp. The speed of the trolley will

be affected by the gradient of the ramp by many factors. One of these

factors is gravitational potential energy. GPE is the energy stored in

an object because of its height. The energy is stored as a result of

the gravitational pull of the earth for the object. GPE is also

affected by the mass of the object but I am going to use the same

trolley. I am going to increase the gradient of the ramp and therefore

increase the height of the trolley. The higher the trolley is on the

ramp, the more GPE it should have and this energy will be transferred

to kinetic energy when the trolley is released from the top.

Gravitational potential energy = mass x gravitational field strength x

height moved

The trolley moves so it has gained kinetic energy. As it falls it

loses GPE and gains an equal amount of KE. The total amount of energy

remains constant. In theory, the amount of gravitational potential

energy the trolley has at the top of the ramp should be transferred

directly into kinetic energy, but this doesn’t happen as some of the

energy is wasted as heat and sound. The more KE the trolley gains, the

faster it moves.

Kinetic energy = ½mv²

The main aim of this investigation is to find the acceleration of the

trolley as the height of the ramp is increased. Acceleration occurs if

the velocity of an object changes.

Acceleration = change in velocity / time taken

Friction will also affect the speed of the trolley. Friction will be

produced as the trolley rolls against the surface of the ramp. It will

slow the trolley down and produce heat and sound.

In this experiment there will be dependent, independent and control

variables. The independent variable will be the height of the ramp.