"Push, Push, Push the Particle" activity

Those Wheels are Hot


As scientists design instruments to push charges to faster and faster speeds, they must understand how accelerated motion affects the distance objects travel while being accelerated.

 

Research Assignment

You will allow a toy car or a ball to roll down an incline and measure how long it takes to travel various distances. Your job is to determine how the time a ball takes to travel a certain distance changes with the distance traveled. What do you predict your results will show? Be as detailed as possible, and explain your ideas.

Assemble your equipment by:

  1. Propping a board up on two bricks and attaching a track to the board as directed by your teacher.
  2. Marking a starting point for your acceleration.
  3. Practicing a consistent method for releasing and timing your car or ball.
  4. Taking as much data as you need to determine how the ball is accelerated down the ramp. Along with recording your data in your journal, you may also want to graph your data for a visual representation of the acceleration.

 

Journaling: What Did You Learn?

Write at least three sentences that summarize your work today. Did your hypothesis agree with your observations? Be prepared to share your reflections with the class.