Mr. Comeford's Class: 2013

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Hot Wheels Gravity Lab: Surviving the Cliff

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Hot Wheels Acceleration Lab: 0-60 in...

Objective: To calculate the acceleration of your Hot Wheels car.

Procedure: Have someone positioned at 5 and 10 feet along the track with stop watches. Send your car down the track. Do not push it. Just let go and let gravity do the work. Everybody will start their stopwatch as the car is released. As your car passes each person, they should stop their watch. Record the data in table 1.

Data:

Table 1

Time (in Seconds) Trial 1	Time (in Seconds) Trial 2	Average Time (in Seconds)	Distance (in feet)
0	0	0	0 feet
			5 feet
			10 feet

Analysis:

Calculate the average velocity over the 10 foot track. (v = d/t ).

Calculate the time it took for the car to go each 5 foot interval. Record your results in the table below.

Table 2

Time	Distance
	0-5 feet
	5-10 feet

Calculate the average velocity for each 5 foot interval using the equation v = d/t

Table 3

Average Velocity	Distance
	0-5 feet
	5-10 feet

Because the ramp has a consistent slope, we will assume the acceleration is constant. Because of this, we can say that the average velocity occurred at the midway point of the calculations (the 5 foot point for the 0 to 10 foot average velocity, the 2.5 foot point for the 0 to 5 foot average velocity), so to find the instantaneous velocity at the 5 and 10 foot point, simply double the average velocities.

Table 4

Distance	Average Velocity	Instantaneous Velocity
0-5 feet	x 2 =	at 5 feet
0-10 feet	x 2 =	at 10 feet

You now have velocities for 0, 5, and 10 feet. You also have the time it took the car to get 5 and 10 feet. Calculate the accelerations for 0-5 feet, for 5 to 10 feet, and also from 0 to 10 feet.

Table 5

Distance	Acceleration
0-5 feet
5-10 feet
0-10 feet

How do the accelerations compare. Would you expect them to be different or the same?

Calculate the 0 – 10 foot acceleration in miles per hour.

Calculate the scale accelerations in miles per hour. (Your Hot Wheels Cars are 1/64 scale)

Using the scale acceleration, how long would it take your car to go from 0 to 60 mph?

Conclusion:

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How Fast Is Your Hot Wheels Car Lab

Objective: To calculate the average and top speed of your Hot Wheels car and investigate velocity and slope on a time vs. distance graph.

Procedure: Have someone positioned at 10, 20, 30 and 40 feet along the track with stop watches. Send your car down the track. Do not push it. Just let go and let gravity do the work. Everybody will start their stopwatch as the car is released. As your car passes each person, they should stop their watch. Record the data in table 1.

40 foot Hot Wheels Track with a varying slopes

Data:

Table 1

Time (in Seconds)	Distance (in feet)
0	0 feet
	10 feet
	20 feet
	30 feet
	40 feet

Analysis:

To calculate the average velocity, you take the distance traveled and divide it by the time (v = d/t ). Calculate your average velocity by dividing 40 feet by the time it took the car to go 40 feet. This is your velocity in feet per second.

Calculate the time it took for the car to go each 10 foot interval. Record your results in the table below.

Table 2

Time	Distance
	0-10 feet
	10-20 feet
	20-30 feet
	30-40 feet

Calculate the velocity for each 10 foot interval using the equation v=d/t

Table 3

Velocity	Distance
	0-10 feet
	10-20 feet
	20-30 feet
	30-40 feet

Graph Table 1 using Excel. Time will be your x variable and distance will be your y variable. Make sure you use data labels to label the x and y coordinates of each point. Print out your graph.

Using your graph, calculate the slope between each point.

Table 4

Slope	Distance
	0-10 feet
	10-20 feet
	20-30 feet
	30-40 feet

Compare the Velocities in table 3 with the slopes in table 4. How are they related?

Convert the average velocity from analysis problem #1 and your fastest velocity from table 3 into miles per hour.

Conclusion:

(Summarize the lab as well as discuss the relationship between time, distance, velocity, and slope, and how we discovered that relationship.)

Monday, October 28, 2013

Hot Wheels Scientific Method Lab

Objective: To show understanding of the scientific method by designing a lab sheet for the following experiment, completing the experiment, then analyzing the data and reporting on the lab.

Directions: Design a lab sheet with the following headings to use for the following experiment. Make sure to include a DETAILED procedure and tables to record your data in.

Scientific Method Lab Outline

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Problem/Question: On which surface will my Hot Wheels car roll furthest after going down a ramp: 60 grit sand paper, carpet, or cedar fencing?