Science

Proficiency 1
Newton's Laws
Problem-What effect does the mass of a ball have on its force as it pushes a block of wood?

Hypothesis-I think that if the two balls push the wood with the same ramp then the larger mass ball will push the wood farther because a larger mass object accelerates faster because gravity has a larger pull on it so it will create more force

Experiment
Materials
2 balls of various masses
A smooth surfaced inclined plane
Timer
Block of wood

Variables-
CV-Angle of inclined plane, person doing experiment, starting spot, finishing spot,same surface of inclined plane, starting velocity of 0, same piece of wood.
IV-Mass of ball

External Variable
I will eliminate external variables by making sure that the ramp will make the balls go straight and making sure nothing interferes with the ball.

Procedure
Gather all materials
Clear work area
Set up inclined plane
Mark starting point
Mark ending point
Label small massed ball-Ball A
Label Large massed ball-Ball B
Hold ball A at starting point
Release ball and start timer at same time
Stop timer when ball hits ending point
Record data
Repeat steps 8 - 11 four more times
Repeat steps 8 - 12 with ball B
Clean up work area
Analyze Data
Create graph
Conclude

Observation-

My problem was what effect does the mass of a ball have on its force as it pushes a block of wood?.  I hypothesized that the larger massed ball will push the wood farther due to gravity.  My hypothesis was supported because the larger mass ball pushed the wood on average 45.8 cm while the smaller mass ball pushed the wood on average 22.15 cm.  This is because when a larger mass ball and a smaller mass ball roll the same distance down the same angled ramp the large one will roll faster because gravity has a stronger impact on large massed objects.  For example, take a bolwing ball and a base ball and throw them in the air.  The baseball will be easier because gravity isn't pulling on it as hard.  For the experiment I set up a ramp with the block of wood at the bottom.  I put Ball 1 on the top and released in and recorded the distance the wood moved.  I did the same for Ball 2.

Proficiency 2

Friction and Gravity

Problem-Will different surfaces effect a rolling ball as it goes down an inclined plane?


Hypothesis-I think that the smoothest surface will make the ball roll down faster because the smoother surface will have less friction thus making the ball roll faster.

Experiment

Materials-

1 ball

1 smooth surface
1 rigid surface

Timer

Protractor

Variables-

CV-Type of ball, same angle of ramp, same starting point, same ending point, Same person timing experiment, same person releasing ball, same starting speed of 0
IV-Type of Surface
DV-Speed of ball

External Variables
I will eliminate external variables by making the ball roll straight.  Also I will make sure that nothing affects the ball when it is rolling besides the surfaces it is rolling on.

 

Procedure-

Gather all Materials
Clear Work Area
Construct each ramp at a 30 degree angle
Label the smooth ramp- Ramp A
Label the rigid ramp - Ramp B
Mark the Beginning Point on Ramp A
Mark Ending Point on Ramp A
Hold ball on starting Point
Release ball and start timer at same time
Stop timer when ball hits the ending point
Record data
Repeat steps 6 - 11 four more times
Repeat steps 6 - 12 with Ramp B
Clean up
Analyze data
Graph results
Conclude

Observation-

 














Conclusion-

My problem was will different surfaces effect a rolling ball as it goes down an inclined plane?. I hypothesized that the smoother surface would make the ball roll faster because there would be less friction.  My hypothesis was supported because the smooth surface let the ball roll down on an average of 0.696 seconds and the rugged surface let the ball roll down on an average of  0.79 seconds.  This is because when gravity pulls the ball down the smoother surface will have less friction and the ball can slide down faster while a rugged surface has more friction and in return, slowing it down.  I experimented by setting up the two ramps at equal angles and lengths and recorded the time it took for the ball to roll down them.

Proficiency 3

Speed and acceleration
Problem-Will the angle of a ramp affect the speed of a toy car?

Hypothesis-I think the steepest angle will have the car move faster because the steeper angle will allow the toy car to accelerate more making it go faster down the ramp.

Experiment
Materials-
Ramp with 45 degree angle
Ramp with 30 degree angle
Timer
Toy car

Variables-
CV-Same toy car, same beginning point, same ending point, same person timing, same person releasing car, same type of surface of ramp, same starting speed of 0
IV-Angle of Ramp
DV-Acceleration of toy car

External Variables
I will eliminate external variables by making sure that everything is the same.  From the type of ramp and car to making sure the ramps are the exact angle.  I will make sure the car starts in the exact same spot and aends in the same spot.  Everything will be the same.

Procedure-
Gather all materials
Clear work area
Label ramp with 45 degree angle - Ramp A
Label ramp with 30 degree angle - Ramp B
Mark a 10 cm space from end of ramp outwards
Mark a 10 cm space 60 cm from the first space.
Hold toy car on starting point
Release car and start timer at the same time
Start second timer when it hits the beginning of first space and stop it when it reaches the end
Start third timer when car reaches the second space and stop it when it reaches the end
Stop timer when car reaches ending point
Find Acceleration of car
Record Data
Repeat Steps 5 - 13 four more times
Repeat Steps 5 - 14 with Ramp B
Clean Up
Analyze data
Graph results
Conclude

Observation-




























Conclusion-
My problem was does the angle of a ramp affect the speed of a car.  I hypothesized that the steeper ramp would have a greater impact because the steeper angle will allow the car to accelerate faster so it will go faster.  My hypothesis was supported because the average speed was 75.22 cm per second and the average acceleration was .17 cm/s/s.  While the other ramp had a average speed of 62.25 cm/s and the average acceleration was .13 cm/s/s.  If a object travels the same distance at two different angles at start at the same velocity the one the gets to the goal first will accelerate faster and will have a greater speed because the higher the acceleration the higher the speed.

Proficiency 4

Rube Goldberg and how it works.
I start a motor which moves a chain pulling a coaster car.  The car goes through the roller coaster and on its way up it pushes a train down a ramp then the train hits a marble.  The marble rolls down a track into some blocks.  The marble rolls down the blocks then hits a drumstick which drops releasing another marble.  This marble drops and rolls down a slanted chair which aims the marble to a screw.  After the marble rolls down the screw it hits some train tracks functioning as dominoes. The tracks fall then the hits a train which rolls down a track to hit a lego tower.  The tower fall releasing a track which hits a lever and when the lever is pushed up a train falls.  The trains rolls and hits a track pushing a cup and ball off a chest.  The cup is attached to a pulley.  The cup goes down and on the other side a lego plate is holding a big marble up by a string.  When the string moves the marble is released.  When the marble finishes rolling down the path it hits a track which pushes a train. The train rolls down a track which pushes a wedge which hits a string.  The disruption to the string releases the tension on some track and the track drops into a trash can with some trash.

Proficiency 5

I have noticed America’s fuel and power demand and the cost, pollution and inefficiency that comes out of it. This problem has alerted me and I might have a solution; fuel cells. You can split hydrogen and oxygen by sending an electric current through it; fuel cells reverse that process and produce electricity and water. The fuel cells have been around for years, but it has never been completely perfected.

Fuel cells were invented in 1839 by a man named William Grove. He thought that if you reversed the electrolysis process, using electricity to split hydrogen and oxygen, you could produce electricity and water. He built a basic fuel cell and after experimentation he proved his hypothesis. The fuel cell will compete with many other energy¬ conversion devices, including the gas turbine in a city's power plant, the gasoline engine in a car and the battery in a laptop. These tasks are powered by different things. The turbine and the engine are combustion engines and use the expansion of gases to do the work and the battery converts chemical energy into electrical energy when needed. The fuel cell should be able to do all of these things more efficiently.

Unlike other natural resources, the fuel cell could be the most efficient. Other sources like solar or wind have two major flaws. One is that they are costly and the other is that they aren’t constant. No sun, no solar power. No wind, no wind power. Fuel cells are constant. Fuel cells split hydrogen and oxygen, aka water, and turn it into electricity and more water. There are 6 main types of fuel cells; direct-methanol fuel cell (DMFC), alkaline fuel cell (AFC), solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), polymer exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), molten-carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), and phosphoric- acid fuel cell (PAFC). Each has a different use which you can see here. If mix and match the fuel cells and research more, we could potentially have a fuel cell for almost everything.