Energy Lab - Ramp it up!
How does changing a car’s potential energy change its kinetic energy?
Predict: Will a car racing down a ramp travel a shorter or greater distance if you raise the ramp’s height?
Materials:
Books Cardboard ramp Toy car
Tape Meter stick Triple beam balance (optional)
Procedure:
1) Use one book and cardboard to make a ramp. Use tape to secure both ends of the ramp to the books and floor, if necessary.
2) Measure the height of your first ramp in centimeters. Record the height under “Run 1” in the table below.
3) Place your car at the top of the ramp. Release the car. Once it stops moving, use the meter stick to measure how far in centimeters it rolled from the end of the ramp. Record the distance under “Run 1” in the table below.
4) Add three books to raise the height of your ramp. Repeat steps two and three under “Run 2” in the table.
Predict: Will a car racing down a ramp travel a shorter or greater distance if you raise the ramp’s height?
Materials:
Books Cardboard ramp Toy car
Tape Meter stick Triple beam balance (optional)
Procedure:
1) Use one book and cardboard to make a ramp. Use tape to secure both ends of the ramp to the books and floor, if necessary.
2) Measure the height of your first ramp in centimeters. Record the height under “Run 1” in the table below.
3) Place your car at the top of the ramp. Release the car. Once it stops moving, use the meter stick to measure how far in centimeters it rolled from the end of the ramp. Record the distance under “Run 1” in the table below.
4) Add three books to raise the height of your ramp. Repeat steps two and three under “Run 2” in the table.
Conclusion:
1) What happened when you raised the height of the ramp? Was your prediction correct?
2) Did raising the ramp’s height give the car more or less potential energy? Explain.
3) Did the car in Run 1 or Run 2 end up with more kinetic energy? How could you tell?
Bonus:
Calculate the potential energy before you released the car with each run:
1) Use the triple beam balance to find the mass of the car in grams: __________________________ g
2) Divide that number by 1000 to find the mass in kilograms: _______________________ kg
3) Divide your height of the ramp by 100 to find the height in meters: _____________________ m
4) Multiply the mass of the car in kilograms by the height of the ramp in meters by 9.8 (pull of gravity).
This is the potential energy of the car in Joules!
Repeat Step 3 for Run 2: ___________________________m
Potential Energy of the car for Run 1: ___________________________ Joules
Potential Energy of the car for Run 2: ___________________________ Joules
Does more potential energy mean more kinetic energy for the car? Explain your answer.
1) What happened when you raised the height of the ramp? Was your prediction correct?
2) Did raising the ramp’s height give the car more or less potential energy? Explain.
3) Did the car in Run 1 or Run 2 end up with more kinetic energy? How could you tell?
Bonus:
Calculate the potential energy before you released the car with each run:
1) Use the triple beam balance to find the mass of the car in grams: __________________________ g
2) Divide that number by 1000 to find the mass in kilograms: _______________________ kg
3) Divide your height of the ramp by 100 to find the height in meters: _____________________ m
4) Multiply the mass of the car in kilograms by the height of the ramp in meters by 9.8 (pull of gravity).
This is the potential energy of the car in Joules!
Repeat Step 3 for Run 2: ___________________________m
Potential Energy of the car for Run 1: ___________________________ Joules
Potential Energy of the car for Run 2: ___________________________ Joules
Does more potential energy mean more kinetic energy for the car? Explain your answer.