Speed of a Trolley Investigation

Speed of a Trolley Investigation

Investigation into whether the height of a ramp affects the speed of a

trolley travelling down it.

Aim:

In this investigation I will place a trolley at the top of a ramp and

then release it. Then I shall try to calculate its speed and from

these results I can obtain whether the height of the ramp increases or

decreases the speed of the trolley.

When the trolley is raised to the top of the ramp, it gains a certain

amount of gravitational potential energy as the trolley is released;

this energy is converted into kinetic (movement) energy as the trolley

moves down the slope. To see what factors may affect the experiment,

it may be useful to look at the formula for potential energy.

P.E = mhg (where m=mass, h=height and g=gravity)

The more potential energy the trolley has got, the faster it will move

down the ramp. Therefore the only factors that can affect this

experiment are the height of the ramp and the mass of the trolley. The

gravity will always stay constant at about 10m/s2. For this experiment

I will be investigating if varying the

Friction between the ramp and the trolleys wheels, and air resistance

will also slightly affect the overall results.

Planning

Fair testing

In my investigation only one variable must be altered at one time. The

rest must remain constant to ensure accurate results. Many factors can

affect the outcome of the results and must be controlled or

restricted. The Height of the ramp is the variable I am going to

change. The height of the ramp should affect the speed of the trolley

in some way. I am going to measure each height accurately from the

front of the trolley, deducting the thickness of the ramp.

Friction is one of the factors that could affect the outcome of the

experiment. As the trolley moves down the ramp, friction could convert

some of the gravitational potential energy into heat and sound. This

can also slow down the trolley.