Physics Slot Car Investigation
Year 11 Preliminary Assignment #2 – Physics
Electricity in the Home
Aim:
Will the current (Amps) affect the time it takes for a slot car to complete a lap of the track?
Planning the investigation: 1. What do you know about the topic from personal experience?
From playing with slot cars and building tracks even before I embarked on the physics course, I’d always realised the relationship between the trigger and the speed of the cars. In the investigation, I hope to use a more scientific method of determining why and how this relationship works. 2. What variables may affect the phenomenon you are investigating?
The resistance of the insulated wire used may affect the results slightly. Also the magnets on the bottom of the slot …show more content…
But to make the investigation quantitative, the current will be measured from the contact points on the track with a multimeter. 5. What is the dependent variable?
The dependent variable is the time it takes for a slot car to complete a lap of the track. 6. How will the dependent variable be measured?
The time taken will be measured with a stopwatch.
Hypothesis and Prediction: 1. Hypothesis
I believe that increasing the current (amps) will reduce the time taken for a slot car to complete a lap. 2. Explain prediction using prior knowledge
I believe this to be the case as I know that pulling the trigger in further increases the speed of the slot cars, and I know that the trigger is a variable resistor, so I can come to the conclusion that pulling the trigger further increases current.
Method: 1. What apparatus do you require for the experiment?
Slot car set with enough track for an 11.8 metre circuit, multimeter, slot cars, stopwatch, notepad for results, a fine tip marker for marking increments on the trigger and a tape measure for measuring the track. 2. What other variables must be controlled to make it a fair
Electricity in the Home
Aim:
Will the current (Amps) affect the time it takes for a slot car to complete a lap of the track?
Planning the investigation: 1. What do you know about the topic from personal experience?
From playing with slot cars and building tracks even before I embarked on the physics course, I’d always realised the relationship between the trigger and the speed of the cars. In the investigation, I hope to use a more scientific method of determining why and how this relationship works. 2. What variables may affect the phenomenon you are investigating?
The resistance of the insulated wire used may affect the results slightly. Also the magnets on the bottom of the slot …show more content…
But to make the investigation quantitative, the current will be measured from the contact points on the track with a multimeter. 5. What is the dependent variable?
The dependent variable is the time it takes for a slot car to complete a lap of the track. 6. How will the dependent variable be measured?
The time taken will be measured with a stopwatch.
Hypothesis and Prediction: 1. Hypothesis
I believe that increasing the current (amps) will reduce the time taken for a slot car to complete a lap. 2. Explain prediction using prior knowledge
I believe this to be the case as I know that pulling the trigger in further increases the speed of the slot cars, and I know that the trigger is a variable resistor, so I can come to the conclusion that pulling the trigger further increases current.
Method: 1. What apparatus do you require for the experiment?
Slot car set with enough track for an 11.8 metre circuit, multimeter, slot cars, stopwatch, notepad for results, a fine tip marker for marking increments on the trigger and a tape measure for measuring the track. 2. What other variables must be controlled to make it a fair