Newton, the Cart & the Inclined PlaneBackground information:
According to Physics, inertia is the reluctance of any body to change its state of motion. Mass is the measure of inertia. According to Newton’s first law, as there is more mass on a cart, it will have more inertia and will not change its state of motion as quickly.
Objective:
To build a cart, using only products wasted or obtained at the Prepa Tec cafeteria, that will go down an inclined plane and advance forward using only the force of its own weight, getting as close as possible to the edge of a table without falling.
Project Diagram: 50%
Instead of a report, you will make a big colored and functional diagram illustrating:
Nickname of your cart.
Free-body diagram of your cart on the inclined plane, including:
o All the forces.
o Height of the inclined plane.
o Mass of your cart.
o Calculation of friction force between cart and inclined plane.
o Calculation of the acceleration of the cart on the inclined plane.
List of materials used to build the cart.
Pictures of the construction process and the team.
A list of all the team members.
Execution and Accuracy: 50%
Each team will have 3 chances. You will be graded by your best result. Grading scale:
100 – within 20 cm. of the edge.
90 – 20 to 40 cm of the edge.
80 – further away than 40 cm of the edge or falling from the table.
Rules:
1. Cart must be nicknamed.
2. No-show team members will be graded with zero, no excuses.
3. The inclined plane length (L) is 2 meters.
4. The height (h) must be fixed and can’t be changed. The only thing that you can change is the weight in the car.
5. The cart must be built with waste materials from the cafeteria or materials you can get at the cafeteria if you have one item that can’t be found in the cafeteria, your group will get a zero in the project.
6. Each team will be given a few minutes to present their prototype to the group and then perform the trials consecutively.
7. Diagrams and carts will be turned in to the professor to keep and grade.
Instead of a report, you will make a big colored and functional diagram illustrating:
Nickname of your cart.
Free-body diagram of your cart on the inclined plane, including:
o All the forces.
o Height of the inclined plane.
o Mass of your cart.
o Calculation of friction force between cart and inclined plane.
o Calculation of the acceleration of the cart on the inclined plane.
List of materials used to build the cart.
Pictures of the construction process and the team.
A list of all the team members.
Execution and Accuracy: 50%
Each team will have 3 chances. You will be graded by your best result. Grading scale:
100 – within 20 cm. of the edge.
90 – 20 to 40 cm of the edge.
80 – further away than 40 cm of the edge or falling from the table.
Rules:
1. Cart must be nicknamed.
2. No-show team members will be graded with zero, no excuses.
3. The inclined plane length (L) is 2 meters.
4. The height (h) must be fixed and can’t be changed. The only thing that you can change is the weight in the car.
5. The cart must be built with waste materials from the cafeteria or materials you can get at the cafeteria if you have one item that can’t be found in the cafeteria, your group will get a zero in the project.
6. Each team will be given a few minutes to present their prototype to the group and then perform the trials consecutively.
7. Diagrams and carts will be turned in to the professor to keep and grade.
