University of Maryland Global Campus A Bride to be Married Poem Discussion

Expt. #2: Linear Motion: Acceleration down an inclined plane1.
Introduction
The greater the slope of an incline, the greater will be the acceleration of a ball rolled
down the inclined plane. As the slope increases, friction and support force decrease and
net gravitational force increases. When the incline is vertical the acceleration is equal to
“g” (gravitational acceleration), and the ball will fall freely at an acceleration rate of “g”,
which applies for a free falling object. The objective of this experiment is to
compare
the velocities of two types of balls running down an inclined plane of a ramp, released
from different distance marks.
2.
Materials and Procedure
2.1
Materials Required
Ramp (2m)
Steel and fiberglass balls
Stop watch
Meter stick
Stand with support clamps
2.2
Procedure
a) Measure and mark the ramp starting from the bottom at 20 cm, 40 cm, 60 cm, 80 cm
and 100 cm using a measuring tape and chalk or marker.
b) Set the ramp at inclined position at an angle of about 10° (30 cm high at clamp
support)
c) Roll the balls (steel and fiberglass balls) one at a time, along the inclined plane from
the different measured and marked distances on the ramp, starting from the lowes
part (20 cm mark). Use the stop watch to measure the time (in seconds) taken by th
ball to cover each distance. The stop watches’ on and off has to be synchronized wit
the release of the ball during each measurement.
d) Roll the ball from each mark three times and record the time data on the blank data
table provided
2.3 Data Analysis
for the various runs and enter values in the table.
a) Calculate the average time in seconds) and the velocity (distance/time) of the balls
b) Plot a line graph after calibrating the y-axis on the graph chart provided, with the
distance covered in cm on the x-axis verses average velocity in cm/s on the y-axis, for
c) Discuss your observation on the average velocity of the steel and fiberglass balls,
both the steel and fiberglass balls.
with respect to change in speed with distance, and differences or similarities in the
average velocities of the two types of ball. Give explanations to justify your
findings. (Use the blank lined space below for discussion).
Table 2.1: The running time and velocity of two types of balls rolled down an inclined
plane (v = d/t)
Type of
Ball
Running Time (t) in seconds
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average
(S) (s) (6)
time (s)
Average
velocity (v)
cm/s
Steel
Distance
(d)
(cm)
20
40
60
80
100
Fiberglass
20
40
60
80
100
Discussion
2
e
Graph Chart: Average velocity of steel and fiberglass balls at different distances
covered on an inclined plane (calibrates and set values for the y-axis based on your
data range)
Average
velocity
cm/s
0
20
80
100
40
60
Distance covered (cm)