Activity Overview
In this activity, students will perform a series of experiments with inclined planes. They will learn that as the angle of inclination of the inclined plane approaches 90?, the value of the acceleration of the cart traveling down the ramp gets closer and closer to that of gravitational acceleration.
Before the Activity
Connect the calculator to the CBR 2™
Install the TI Connect™ software to analyze data on the computer
See the attached PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity
Print pages 17 - 20 from the attached PDF file for your class
During the Activity
Distribute the pages to your class.
Follow the Activity procedures:
Run the Ranger program on the calculator
Set up an inclined plane
Position the CBR on the top of the ramp
Place the cart at the top of the inclined ramp in front of the CBR, and release it
Record the velocity
Repeat the experiment 5 more times, increasing the angle of inclination each time
Determine the slope for each trial
Calculate the acceleration
Tabulate the angle of inclination and acceleration data
Determine the acceleration of the object when the angle of inclination approaches 90?
After the Activity
Students will complete the Data Collection table and answer questions listed in it.
Review student results:
As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
Re-teach concepts as necessary