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Activity 9

Only the Height

Has Been Changed

Students collect data and examine variables that may cause a change in the distance a toy car will travel on the floor when it is rolled down a ramp.

Measurement

♦length

♦mean

♦collecting data

♦graphing

Materials

♦ruler

♦yardstick, meterstick, or measuring tape

♦ramp (cardboard or wood) - length should be divisible by 6

♦ toy car

♦ student activity sheet (provided) ♦ TI-73 ³

Setup

♦Ask students:

Have you ever made a ramp for your bicycle? What angle was the best?

If your ramp were straight up, what would happen? If your ramp were lying flat, what would happen?

♦Tell students that they are going to investigate how the height of a ramp will affect the distance that a toy car will travel when it rolls down the ramp.

♦Divide the students into groups, with group members having the following responsibilities.

∙One student will hold a ruler perpendicular to the floor.

∙One or two students will hold the ramp with one end touching the ruler and the other end on the floor.

∙One student will release the car from the top of the ramp.

∙One student will measure the distance the car travels from the end of the ramp on the floor to where the car stops on the floor.

© 1998 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED