Question: How does the steepness of a slope and mass affect a collision outcome?Prediction: The steeper the slope, the harder the collision. The greater the mass, the harder the collision.
Procedure: We constructed a ramp with two thick books, a cardboard ramp, and two planks of wood to create a track. The three toy cars were the same; one was the collision car, one was the control car, and one was the car with heavier mass. We used pennies to make the car heavier.
Results:
Control car with ramp at 2 3/16": collision car traveled an average of 29 inches.
Control car with ramp at 4 1/4": collision car traveled an average of 68 inches.
Weighted car with ramp at 2 3/16": collision car traveled an average of 40.5 inches.
Weighted car with ramp at 4 1/4" : collision car traveled an average of 68 inches.
Our prediction was correct! The steepness of the slope and/or the mass of the vehicle will cause a harder collision.
Doing this experiment with my 11 year old son and 8 year old daughter was a lot of fun - we were all engaged in the learning experience. By doing the hands-on activity, it reinforced for us the concepts of mass, momentum, velocity, and Newton's second law of motion.
I think that doing this in a classroom would be a worthwhile endeavor; however, I think that I would first be sure to do plenty of activities based on confirmation inquiry and structured inquiry. This would give my students the foundational skills needed to facilitate a guided inquiry experiment.
This experiment would relate to my students' daily lives because of their familiarity with cars and car accidents. They could also apply this knowledge to something less dangerous - the slides! The steeper the slide, the greater their momentum, which would explain why most students go a lot slower on the spiral slide than the straight slide.
Providing students with inquiry-based instruction, and gradually increasing student involvement in the experiments and investigations, will help our students become better at problem solving, critical thinking, and observation.
Click here for a link to my video of the experiment - I hope you enjoy it!
