LIFE IN MOTION Activity # 2 Supplement C

Equipment Required

1. “Ramps” built in activity 2B

2. Toy cars, golf balls, plastic ball, ping pong balls, plastic balls, etc.
3. Stop watch
4. Masking tape
5. Graph paper

What to do
Have student groups measure 1m from the open end of the ramp box and put masking
tape on the floor at this point. This is the finish line.

The students will be recording the time it takes for the car/ball to cross the finish line,
where time 0 is the release time from the top of the ramp.

This will be done for the 3 different ramp heights and, if time permits, more than one
measurement will be taken for each height.

After recording these times, the students will plot a bar graph showing time vs. height.

These data will demonstrate that the higher an object, the faster it will fall. (Gravity is a
force that acts on falling bodies, so the higher the fall the more time available to
accelerate.)

Ask the students what would happen in terms of time, if we just dropped the car/ball
straight down on the finish line from about 1 m height. (This should provide the fastest time).
Why?
Ans.
In addition to the fact that the car/ball would be dropped from distance higher than the previous
trials with the ramp, there would be no friction between the car and the ramp. Friction would slow
down the car. )