Rolling down a ramp

Rolling down a ramp

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Rolling down a ramp

Language: English
Description: Letting objects roll or slide down a ramp opens possibilities to explore causes and effects of motion. The students can make suggestions of what to investigate and how to test Explore the aspects of how far up on the ramp the object starts, the material of the ramp, the amount of slope and how that affects the motion.
Target: Key Stage 2
Category: Demonstration, Laboratory
Discipline: Friction, Motion
Learning objectives:

Asking questions to the situation. Plan an experiment. Predict what might happen. Evaluate the result. Explore the cause of the motion.

In class: Discuss what happens when an object rolls or slides down a

ramp. Discuss what questions that are interesting to ask in order to explain the motion. Discuss how the height, the slope and the material influence the motion.

What happens at the end of the ramp when the plane is flat? When the plane is going upwards again? What makes the object stop? What makes it continue its motion? How should the ramp look like in order to get an object to move as far as possible.

Discuss how this can be visualized and explored in Algodoo. Let the students create scenes in Algodoo using the suggestions you came up with together or let them use their own ideas. Help the students make decisions and ask guiding questions. Encourage the students to follow the procedure Create – Predict – Interact – Evaluate.

Allow the students to follow-up and share their experiences in class after the simulation.

Steps in Algodoo


Create a scene

Use a plane as a ramp. Create an object (a box, a car with wheels, take a picture of an object). Add one or two planes to create a track with downhill, flat ground and uphill.
Rolling ramp.png


Make a prediction

How can the object be set into motion? What makes the object stop?


Run/Interact

Let the object slide or roll down the ramp. Rotate the plane (if you have a computer with accelerometer, tilt the PC) to model different slopes. Let the object slide or roll down to a flat surface and see how far it goes. Let the object roll or slide down to an uphill and see how high up it goes. Change the material of the ramp to give it more or less friction and explore the motion.


Evaluate

When does the object roll really far?

When does it roll high?

How does the material influence the motion?
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