Does The Type of Surface

Affect the Speed

of a
Toy Car?

Stephanie M. Upton
EDU 214
November 28, 2021
Question:
Does the type of surface affect the SPEED of a
toy car?

Can different types of materials or textures of

a surface affect the speed of a toy car?
Hypothesis:

I think that the speed of the toy car will decrease

on uneven surfaces (ex: bumpy or soft) and will
travel faster on solid and flat surfaces.
Materials:

Tape Measure

Towels (Surface Type #2/Cotton)

Toy Truck

A ramp
You may build a Closet Door (Surface Type #1/Wood)
ramp using your
choice of
materials. I used
Yoga Mat (Surface Type #2/Recycled Rubber
a chair and a Stop Watch
closet door.
PROCEDURE
1. Collect all materials listed on slide #4.

2. Test each surface using the same ramp and toy car. Measure
the time and distance the toy car travels with measuring tape
using three trials.

3. Let go of the toy car at the same starting point without

pushing. Start the clock (stop watch) at the time of release and
stop when the car stops rolling.

4. Record the time and distance traveled from the end of ramp to
the toy car after it has stopped rolling.

The controlled variable is the toy car and the ramp. The car used for
each surface and trial must be the same car. Use the same ramp at
the same angle. The starting point of the ramp was 4 ft 4 inches
above the ground. The ramp is 6 feet 6/8 inches long.
RESUL
TS
Trial #1 Distance Time
Closet Door 1.9 ft 1.75 sec
Yoga Mat 2.4 ft 3.0 sec
Cotton (towels) 4.3 ft 3.05 sec

Trial #2 Distance Time

Closet Door 3.6 ft 1.76 sec
Yoga Mat 6.10 ft 4.15 sec
Cotton (towels) 2.9 ft 3.02 sec

Trial #3 Distance Time

Closet Door 2.9 ft 2.25 sec
Yoga Mat 3.6 ft 3.4 sec
Cotton (towels) 4.3 ft 2.81 sec
Conclusion:

When the toy car traveled on the soft and bumpy

surfaces, it took more time to travel down the ramp and
stop rolling. My hypothesis was correct. However, I
learned that the type of surface also affects the
distance the car will travel. In my experiment, the toy
car traveled further distances on the soft (cotton) and
bumpy (yoga mat) surfaces.

I would like to try this experiment again using multiple

cars on the same surfaces to determine if the size of
the toy car affects the speed and distance traveled.