Year 10 Physical Sciences

Speediest Car Name: Maan Patel

Aim: The aim of this investigation was to build the fastest car possible and investigate the relationship
between mass and acceleration.

Background Information:

GPE (gravitational potential energy) is the amount of energy an object has because of its position above the
ground, i.e. its height. The GPE of an object can be calculated using this equation: E P = mass x gravitational field
strength x height. The gravitational potential energy of an object on Earth depends on its mass and its height
above the Earth’s surface.

Independent variable:

The independent variable in this practical would be the mass of the car. Throughout the practical, the car is
modified with weights being added to the car to change its mass. This is done twice, and the modification is of
80g followed by another modification of 240g.

Dependent variable:

The dependent variable is this practical would be the speed and the acceleration of the car. The dependent
variable is measured using a stopwatch.

Controlled variables: what is kept constant & HOW it was kept constant

Controlled Variable How and why is it kept constant?

The height of the ramp was kept constant throughout
the whole practical by not moving the ramp. Another
item that keep the height constant were the heavy
bricks that supported the ramp. If bricks weren’t used,
The height of the ramp then the ramp would not be sturdy and then collapse.
The height of the ramp was kept constant as different
heights would change the amount of gravitational
potential energy the car gains and that would affect
the acceleration.
The same car was kept constant throughout the whole
practical because if a different car was used than it
would affect the acceleration as different types cars
would have a different mass. Having a different mass
The same type of car would affect calculating the acceleration.

The surface The surface of the flooring was kept constant by

conducting all the trials on the same surface and at
the same location. Havin different surfaces for each
 trial would affect the results as different surfaces have
different levels of friction. When the car is rolling
there is friction between the wheels and different
surfaces can affect that.
Uncontrollable Variable How and why is it uncontrollable?
The wooden cars that are used are not remote
controllable so the direction that the car roll towards
The direction of the car cannot be controlled. If the car doesn’t travel in nearly
a straight line when being rolled down from the ramp
it would lose its speed when turning direction.

Hypothesis: It is hypothesised that as the mass increases, the acceleration also increases.

Risk Assessment

Hazard Possible Injuries Precautions

Dropping the bricks
Tripping on the car
Electrocuted from the weighing
 Thermal burns from contact
scale
Materials:
 Bruised foot
 Swelling
 Broken or bruised toes
 Rolled or sprained ankle
 Leg injury
 Head injury
 Mild concussion
 Back injury
 Muscle, nerve, and tissue
destruction from a current
passing through the body
with the electrical source
 Falling after contact with
electricity
The bricks should be held with both
hands and they must be carried
across the room one by one.
Multiple bricks should not be
carried as they are great in mass
and can resulting in the person
dropping them.
The car shouldn’t be left of the
ground as students can trip on the
car resulting in multiple injuries.
The car should be placed on the
bench where it can be seen and
where it can’t hurt anyone.
Never mix water and electricity.
Place the weighing scale away from
all water sources and moisture.
Even if the weighing scale is turned
off you can still. Get electrocuted.

 Wooden block car  Bricks (x4)

 25 g metal weights (x12)  Masking tape
 Wooden slope  Measuring scale
 Wooden slope

Method:

1. The correct apparatus was collected.

2. The ramp was created by placing 4 bricks under the wooden slope.
3. 3 metres was measured using the measuring tape and was marked out using the masking tape.
4. The car was weighed and then recorded in the table.
 5. The car was then released from the top of the wooden ramp by one person, while someone else clocked the speed
of the car.
6. Step 5 was repeated two more times to minimize the impacts of errors. The speed was then recorded in the table.
7. 80g was stuck to the car using masking tape.
8. Steps 4-7 were repeated for the new car.
9. 160g was added to the car.
10. Steps 4-7 were repeated for the new car.
11. The time taken and acceleration was calculated and recorded in the table.

Modified car #2 Modified car #1

Image Corrupted

Unmodified car
Results:

Unmodified car
Acceleration
Mass Distance Initial speed Final speed Time taken
Trial v f −v i
(m kg) (d m) ( vi m/s) ( v f m/s) (t sec) a=
t
1 0.1139 3 0 1.33 2.25 0.59

2 0.1139 3 0 1.39 2.16 0.64

 3 0.1139 3 0 1.43 2.10 0.68

Modified car (+80 grams)

Acceleration
Mass Distance Initial speed Final speed Time taken
Trial v f −v i
(m kg) (d m) ( vi m/s) ( v f m/s) (t sec) a=
t
1 0.1945 3 0 1.76 1.7 1.04

2 0.1945 3 0 2.00 1.5 1.33

3 0.1945 3 0 1.88 1.6 1.18

Modified car (+ 240 grams)

Acceleration
Mass Distance Initial speed Final speed Time taken
Trial v f −v i
(m kg) (d m) ( vi m/s) ( v f m/s) (t sec) a=
t
1 0.2339 3 0 1.88 1.6 1.18

2 0.2339 3 0 2.31 1.3 1.78

3 0.2339 3 0 2.14 1.4 1.53

Relationship between Mass and Acceleration

0.25 Graph:

0.2
Acceleration (m/s/s)

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6
Discussion:
Mass of car (g)
1) State the relationship between mass
and acceleration that can be seen in the
graph.
- It can be seen from the graph displayed above that; the mass does have an impact on the acceleration of the car.
When mass increases for the car, the acceleration also increases for the car.

2) Mass and acceleration are expected to be inversely proportional to each other. Explain what inversely proportional
means and discuss whether the data reflects this.
- Inversely proportional means when the value of something decreases at the same rate as the other one increases,
therefore being inversely proportional. An example of inversely proportional is that if the speed increases, the
travel time decreases or if the speed decreases, the travel time increases. The data from this experiment would be
 inversely proportional if the other value of the variable changed in the opposite way. However, when the weight of
the car was increased by adding the weighs on its back, the travel time of the car increased. Hence, we can conclude
that our data is not inversely proportional.

3) Detail the course of the car as it travels down the track. Refer to the conversion of energy as the car moves as well as
the effect on inertia and friction on its motion.
- Gravitational potential energy is used when the car is placed at the top of the ramp. When released the
Gravitational potential energy transfers to kinetic energy and thermal energy. The thermal energy was the waste
energy which was a result of friction from the wooden ramp and the flooring. The gravitational potential energy can
be calculated by using the formula ‘GPE = mass x gravitational field strength x height’. The gravitational field
strength stands for 9.8. In this experiment, the motion of the car relates to Newton’s first law of motion. Newton’s
first law states that an object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an
external force. In this experiment, the external force was the gravitational potential energy as no one pushed the
car off the top of the wooden ramp. During the practical, when more weight was added to the car, the inertia of the
car was also increased.

4) Suggest 1 random error and discuss how it affected your data.

- Random errors are errors cause one measurement to differ slightly from the next. It comes from unpredictable
changes during an experiment. One random error from this practical would be the timing of stopping the stopwatch
at the exact time as when the car crossed the line. For example, the group member controlling the stopwatch might
have stopped too early or too late as it is challenging to press the ‘STOP’ button as soon as the car touches the finish
line. Due to this random error, precise time is not achieve, although a more reliable time is developed when more
trials are done. The random error did not have a significant effect on the data obtained as three trials were done for
each independent variable. Next time speed sensors can be used as they are more precise and have an accurate
reading of the data.

5) Suggest 1 systematic error and discuss how this affected your data.
- A systematic error is a repeatable error related to faulty equipment or incorrect practical design. These errors are
usually caused by measuring instruments that are incorrectly calibrated or are misused. One systemic error from
this practical could have been the weighing scales that were used to weigh the cars. These measuring scales may
not have been calibrated properly and could have shown a slightly higher or lower mass than the correct mass.
Using an incorrect weight reading can affect the data by making all of the results high or lower than the actual
values. The best way to avoid systematic errors is to be familiar with most of the standard errors of instruments and
remove it.

6) Discuss the precision of your data. Are the results similar? Why/why not?
- The data collected by experimenting was exact multiple trials were done for each car model. Three trials were done
for the car model, and the results from those trials were always similar showing that the results are reliable. This
can be seen on the graph as the results were very close to the trend line. Next time the data obtained can be set to
perfection by using a speed sensor to detect the speed of the cars.

7) Discuss the accuracy of your data. Are the results correct? Why/why not?
- The data collected was accurate as the results were correct. To find out if the results were correct, we decided to
compare them with different groups. When compared, they were briefly identical, showing that they were accurate.
 We were able to compare the results as the other groups had used the same ramp and performed the practical in
the same conditions.

Conclusion: Summarise the results of the investigation. State whether the hypothesis was supported or not supported, with
evidence from the data collected.

- In conclusion, the hypothesis was supported as the more weight the car had, the GPE (gravitational
potential energy) it had. This can be seen from the data collected, and from the graph, we can see how
the gravitational potential energy increased as the weight of the car increased as hypothesized. There
wasn’t a huge difference between the two modified cars. The heaver cars travelled faster than the car
without any additional weights because heavier cars have more momentum, so they travel further when
given the same amount of friction. To sum it all up, the mass has a significant effect on a vehicle’s
gravitational potential energy.

Bibliography:

- What is gravitational potential energy? n.d., Khan Academy, viewed 14 September 2019,
<https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/work-and-energy/work-and-energy-tutorial/a/what-is-
gravitational-potential-energy>.

- Gravitational Potential Energy n.d., viewed 14 September 2019, <http://230nsc1.phy-

astr.gsu.edu/hbase/gpot.html>.

- How exactly does mass affect speed? [closed] n.d., Stack exchange, viewed 15 September 2019,
<https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/29190/how-exactly-does-mass-affect-speed>.

- Gravitational Potential Energy: Definition, Formula & Examples n.d., Study.com, viewed 14 September 2019,
<https://study.com/academy/lesson/gravitational-potential-energy-definition-formula-examples.html>.