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- Do you think a car will roll farther when the ramp is set up on a higher step? Explain why you think so.
Jackie and Derrick did an experiment to find out how far a car rolled when the ramp was put on steps of different heights. First, they talked about how to be sure that the experiment was fair. Derrick suggested that the starting line on the ramp should stay the same.
- What other variables should not change during the experiment? Why?
- Jackie's neighbor said they should keep the height of the ramp the same for the entire experiment and that the distance traveled (D) should be measured from the bottom of the ramp to the back wheels of the car. Do you agree? Why or why not?
- Jackie and Derrick decided to run three trials for each different height. Why was this a good idea?
- On the first trial, Jackie determined the car traveled past one meter and stopped at 24 cm on the second meterstick. How many meters did the car travel?
Use the TIMS Laboratory Method to design and do an experiment like Jackie and Derrick's. Use a car, a ramp, and some blocks or books to study the relationship between the height of the ramp (H) and the distance your car will roll on the ground (D). Use blocks or books to change the height of the ramp. The height (H) is the height of the blocks (or books).
- What is the manipulated variable?
- What is the responding variable?
- Draw a picture of the lab. Be sure to show the two main variables, Height (H) and Distance (D), and identify other variables that should not change.
- Write a paragraph that describes any special or specific setup notes so that later you can set up the experiment again in exactly the same way. (Hint: Look at your answer to Question 2 and your picture.) You will make and check predictions about how far your car rolls. Unless you are careful now, you may not be able to check your predictions later.