Name: ______Date: ______HR: ______

Curious Car Crash: Mock Accident Trial

Directions: Setup the ramp as explained in the Evidence Report. Place the car at the “Start” portion of the ramp and release. Using a stopwatch, time from when the car is released at the top of the ramp until it comes to a stop passed the bottom. Measure the distance from the start of the hill to the position of the stopped car. You will do this 5 times and then calculate the speed for each run, and the average speed.

*Remember that speed = distance / time

Distance Travelled
(centimeters) / Time taken
(seconds) / Speed
(s = d / t)
units = cm/s
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 4
Trial 5
Average

Results:

On average, did your car reach a distance of 300cm? ______

On average, did your car reach a speed of 165 cm/s? ______

Analysis:

(Answer BOTH of them, even if one does not apply to you!)

  1. If the mock car reaches a distance of at least 300cm, and the mock car represents Mr. Parker’s car with no brakes, what would that mean about Mr. Parker’s situation? Was he telling the truth? Why or why not?
  1. If the mock car does NOT reach at least 300m, and therefore stops short before 300m, what does that mean about Mr. Parker’s situation? Was he telling the truth? Why or why not?

Name: ______Date: ______HR: ______

Curious Car Crash: Mock Accident Trial

Directions: Setup the ramp as explained in the Evidence Report. Place the car at the “Start” portion of the ramp and release. Using a stopwatch, time from when the car is released at the top of the ramp until it comes to a stop passed the bottom. Measure the distance from the start of the hill to the position of the stopped car. You will do this 5 times and then calculate the speed for each run, and the average speed.

*Remember that speed = distance / time

Distance Travelled
(centimeters) / Time taken
(seconds) / Speed
(s = d / t)
units = cm/s
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 4
Trial 5
Average

Results:

On average, did your car reach a distance of 300cm? ______

On average, did your car reach a speed of 165 cm/s? ______

Analysis:

(Answer BOTH of them, even if one does not apply to you!)

  1. If the mock car reaches a distance of at least 300cm, and the mock car represents Mr. Parker’s car with no brakes, what would that mean about Mr. Parker’s situation? Was he telling the truth? Why or why not?
  1. If the mock car does NOT reach at least 300m, and therefore stops short before 300m, what does that mean about Mr. Parker’s situation? Was he telling the truth? Why or why not?