HOT WHEELS PROCEDURE:

 1)  Set up the ramp so that your car will roll off from a 30 - 40o angle.
 2)  You will count to time the car and a meter stick to measure distance in centimeters.  Your count should be seconds - "one, one thousand, two, one thousand, etc.
 3)  You will do 3 trials for each time period and average the distance for each time period   after the trials.  It is the averages that you will graph.
 4)  Hold the car at the top of the ramp.  Let go and start timing as soon as the wheels hit the  floor.
 5)  Use some small object to mark how far the car has gone in one second. Repeat this two  more times.  Average the three results - YOU WILL GRAPH THE AVERAGE.
 6)  Repeat Step 5, only now mark where the car is at 2 seconds.
 7)  Repeat for 3 seconds, 4 seconds, 5 seconds, or for each second nearest to the time the   car stops moving.  REMEMBER TO DO THREE TRIALS FOR EACH SECOND AND   FIND THE AVERAGE.
 8)  Construct a  distance - time graph from your data.
 
 

I.  Problems:
 1)  What is the shape of the distance-time graph of a toy car:

   a)  when at rest

   b) when traveling at a constant velocity

   c)  when constantly accelerating/decelerating

II.  Observations and Previous Knowledge:

 What do you know about how the velocity and/or acceleration of a rolling object will   change over time?

III.  Hypotheses:

 Here you should predict the kind of graph you will get when a toy car is allowed to roll   freely until it comes to a stop.  The car will be released from an incline of 30 to 40 degrees

IV.  Materials:

Include a list or drawing

V.  Procedure:

Write down the step by step procedure in your own words.

VI.  Data:

 Construct an appropriate data table for the experiment.  REMEMBER TO LABEL AND TITLE THE TABLE.

VII.  Data Analysis:

 1)  Graph the results of the experiment.  BE AWARE OF WHAT GOES ON EACH AXIS   AND HOW TO CONSTRUCT IT PROPERLY.  REMEMBER:  THE VARIABLE   THAT YOU CONTROL BEFORE THE EXPERIMENT GOES ON THE     HORIZONTAL AXIS.

 2)  Answer the following questions in complete sentences:

  a)  Did you find a part of your graph where the car was moving at a
constant    velocity?  Explain your findings.

  b)  At what points did the acceleration of the car change?  Be specific.

  c)  Calculate the average velocity.  SHOW YOUR CALCULATION.

  d)  Calculate the acceleration for zero seconds - 2 seconds, 2 seconds - 4 seconds,  and if possible, 4 seconds - 6 seconds.  SHOW YOUR CALCULATIONS.  If    your car only rolled for three seconds, 5 seconds or some other odd amount, then    do calculations for 0 sec - 2 sec and 2 sec-3 sec, or 0 sec - 2 sec, 2 sec - 4 sec, and   4 sec - 5 sec, or whatever is appropriate and follows the same pattern.
 
  e)  Based on your calculations in "d", how would you put into words a description of the acceleration from the beginning to the end of the cars motion.

VII.  Conclusion:
 In a short paragraph explain what you can conclude about the motion of a toy car going   from a point of rest through points of constant velocity and acceleration.

Three bonus questions are acceptable for extra credit.