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PRACTICAL REPORT WRITE-UP

SECTION #1
Section #1 checklist:
✓ Title
❑

✓ Background Information
❑

✓ Aim
❑

✓ Hypothesis
❑

✓
❑ Variables

✓ Equipment and Materials

❑
Purple writing = tips.

Title
▪ Ramps and Cars Friction Practical

Background Information
Forces definition

Push/pull definition

Balanced/unbalanced definition

Short gravity explanation

Short normal force explanation

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 Friction is the resistance between two surfaces when attempting to slide one object
against another. Friction is due to interactions at a level where “Rough Edges” rub
together. Friction is always opposite to the direction of motion. You encounter friction
every day, for example, allow you to start you car from rest, Slow down your car and allow
you to hit the brakes. A force is a push or pull upon an object. Whenever there is an
interaction between two objects, there is a force upon each of the objects. Motion is a
change in position compared to a place or an object that is not moving. The place or object
that is not moving is called the Frame of Reference.

Aim
Usually begins with “the aim was to investigate…” It is the broad overarching question
guiding your research.

The purpose of this practical is to find out how different surfaces like sand, carpet and
chalk affect friction on a toy car

Hypothesis
If/then statement

If the ramp is smooth, then the car will travel a longer distance because there will be less
friction.

Variables
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE:

The independent variable of the experiment is the material that is on the ramp.

DEPENDENT VARIABLE:

The dependent variable of the experiment is how fast the cars travels.

CONTROLLED VARIABLES:

The controlled variables are the angle of the ramps, the floor underneath the ramp and
the car.

Equipment and Materials

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8x Books

2x Bricks

1x Protractor

1x Toy Car (Hot Wheels)

2x 1m Ruler

1x Chalk Ramp

1x Gravel Ramp

1x Dirt Ramp

1x Carpet Ramp

1x Wood Ramp

1x Sand Ramp

1x Paper Ramp

PRACTICAL REPORT WRITE-UP

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 SECTION #2

Section #2 checklist:
✓ Method/Procedure
❑

✓ Diagram/Scientific Drawing
❑

Results:

✓ Table of results
❑

✓
❑ Graph
Purple writing = tips.

METHOD/PROCEDURE
1. 8 books were gently placed down on the floor with a 4-metre space ahead.
2. Over the books, softly place the 2 bricks down on top of each other.
3. Place down the two rulers next to the ramp alongside each other.
4. Grab your toy car and test it down the ramp until one is successful. Any test is
successful unless your car touches another object, or it doesn’t go down the ramp
successfully.
5. Test each surface three times, later calculating the averages of all tests.

DIAGRAM/SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM

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Results (Table + Graph)

Table

Angle/Height Distance car travelled (cm)

Surface of Ramp
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average
(0/cm)

Chalk 510 319cm 108cm 100cm 175.66*cm

Gravel 510 129cm 27cm 29cm 61.66*

Dirt 510 107cm 107cm 101cm 105cm

Carpet 510 67cm 27cm 29cm 41cm

Wood 510 381cm 157cm 329cm 289cm

Sand 510 98cm 123cm 158cm 126.33*

Paper 510 109cm 273cm 110cm 164cm

**To calculate the average; add up all three trial results for any one angle and divide by 3!

Graph

Ramps and Cars Averages

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0
Chalk Gravel Dirt Carpet Wood Sand Paper

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 PRACTICAL REPORT WRITE-UP
SECTION #3

Section #3 checklist:
❑ Discussion/Analysis

❑ Conclusion

❑ Reference List
Purple writing = tips.

Discussion/Analysis

In this experiment, the surface which created the most long distance was the wood, as its results
were 381cm, 157cm and 329cm, which ends up with an average of exactly 289cm (2.89 metres). In the
opposite side, the surface which created the most friction was the carpet, with scores of 67cm, 27cm
and 29cm which leads to an average of 41cm. Some errors in this experiment was how low the first
test was, with a degree of 2 degrees. Later, this was fixed and transformed into 51 degrees. This
affected the results because all tests had to have the same everything accept the surface of the
ramp, meaning the tests had to be restarted, otherwise it wouldn’t be a fair test. Different surfaces
cause different reactions to the car, for example, the wood had no friction and was a lot smoother,
which caused the car to go a lot further and faster. On the other hand, the carpet was a lot more less
smooth and had more friction, which caused the car to go not as far.

If this experiment was remastered or redone, I would probably ask the teacher for more instructions
on what to do. In the previous practical, The car would go everywhere, making the results not straight
forward.

Conclusion

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The aim of the experiment is to find out of which surface the car travels the fastest, slowest

and the range of how far the car goes. In the end, my results were rather not surprising,

because wood being the fastest and carpet being the slowest was pretty obvious.

REFERENCE LIST

▪ Harvard referencing (remember to use the Harvard referencing generator).

▪ Only need to reference websites/sources you used for background information.