Topic 1.3: Cart-on-Ramp Acceleration — Lab Handout

Name: _______________________________ Date: _______________ Period: ______

Quick Recap

This week you learned that the slope of a velocity-time graph equals acceleration. Today you'll measure real acceleration data and see how it changes with ramp angle.

The Question We're Testing

How does the steepness of a ramp affect how quickly a cart accelerates down it?

Prediction (write this BEFORE you start)

_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

Materials

• Cart + inclined track/ramp
• Motion detector (or stopwatch + marked distances)
• Blocks/books to vary ramp angle

What To Do

1. Set the ramp to a shallow angle. Release the cart from rest at the top — don't push it.
2. Record position vs. time as it rolls down.
3. Repeat for at least 3 different ramp angles (shallow, medium, steep).
4. For each angle, graph velocity vs. time and find the slope (acceleration).

Data Table

Ramp Angle	Time (s)	Position (m)	Calculated Acceleration (m/s²)
Shallow
Medium
Steep

Analysis Questions

1. How did acceleration change as the ramp got steeper? Did this match your prediction? _________________________________________________
2. What sources of error might make your measured acceleration different from the true value? _________________________________________________
3. If you extended the ramp to straight down (90°), what would you expect the acceleration to approach? _________________________________________________

Conclusion

In 2-3 sentences, explain what your data showed about the relationship between ramp angle and acceleration. _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________