Marble Ramp Experiment

By utilizing simple math equations students will figure out the average rate at which a marble travels across each inch on a ramp.

Marble ramp experiment.

Wooden ramp with beveled end and a channel down the center. A meter stick two marble balls with the same mass two photogate timers a motion sensor a wooden ramp with a length of x meters and a few textbooks. Students will use a marble ramp laboratory experiment to demonstrate an understanding of work and energy. Photogate ramp labquest rulers marble we will construct the ramp and set up the photogate and perform the experiment to get the data.

Big idea planning and carrying out investigations is an essential physics skill students can use to design a lab where potential energy is transferred into kinetic energy. I have seen various hardware stores and building supply s. Potential energy is the energy that is stored in an object. Once your experiment is well aligned and your calculations and measurements agree you get to design an experiment.

This experiment requires a few things. Repeat this experiment to demonstrate how changes in the ramp affect the rate of travel. Long cardboard tube such as an empty roll of wrapping paper to make your ramp. In this experiment the inclined plane makes work easier by allowing gravity without any help from you to move the marble down the ramp.

Lengths of textured fabric cut to fit the ramp cloth towel paper towel foil sandpaper wax paper cling wrap foam. Use a stopwatch to time how long it takes for a marble to go from the base of the ramp to the 1 meter mark. An example of potential energy is a stretched out rubber band the farther you stretch it the more potential energy it has. Then we will upload our data to our individual weeblys.

By rolling a steel marble down a ramp and measuring its horizontal range you can calculate the marble s launch velocity. To confirm this velocity with an independent measurement you can use a photogate. In this experiment you will roll a marble down a ramp to find out. Students will figure out how quickly the marble travels if the starting point is raised or lowered.

Make sure that you repeat the experiment 3 times at each ramp height. Material procedure step by step numbered bullet points on how you are conducting your experiment. Release the marble from the top 30cm 3 4 of the way up 22 5 cm half way up 15 cm and 1 4 of the way up 7 5 cm.