Name:______

Inclined Plane Lab

Part A

An inclined plane is an even sloping surface. The inclined plane may slope at any angle between the horizontal ( ----- ) and the vertical ( | ). The inclined plane makes it easier to move a weight from a lower to higher elevation.

The mechanical advantage of an inclined plane is equal to the length of the slope divided by the height of the inclined plane. For example, assume that the slope (S) is 15 feet long and the height (H) is 3 feet. The mechanical advantage would be 5. Calculations: 15/3= 5 MA

Mechanical Advantage = Slope/Height

PROBLEMWhat is advantage of using an inclined plane? Is there a disadvantage?

MATERIALSInclined Board 200g weight 10 N Spring ScalePhysics Car

PROCEDURE

Your objective is to get your car from the floor to the top of your desk using the least amount of force possible.

For trial 1, attach the spring scale to the car with the attached weight and pull it straight up from the floor to the desktop using nothing but your muscles. Don’t use the ramp at all! Measure and record the force shown on the spring scale as you lifted (in Newtons).

For trial 2, create a ramp that is exactly 1m in length from the floor to the desktop. Using the spring scale, pull the car slowly using a steady force to the top of the ramp. When you reach a point when you are steadily pulling with a constant force, read the spring scale and record the force in Data Table 1.

Repeat that step 2 more times for trials 3 & 4, but this time use inclined plane length of 1.5m and 2m. Now calculate the amount of work completed for each trial. W = F X D

DATA & OBSERVATIONS

Data Table 1

Trial
# / Distance Weights Traveled
(m) / Force Required for Lifting as Shown on the Spring Scale
(Newtons) / Calculate the Amount of Work (Joules)
1 / 1m (without inclined plane)
2 / 1
3 / 1.5
4 / 2

Next, use the data from your trials to calculate the Mechanical Advantage of your ramps during each trial.

Data Table 2

Trial # / Slope
(Length of ramp) / Height of ramp (measure the height of table) / Mechanical advantage
MA = slope/height
2 / 1 m
3 / 1.5 m
4 / 2 m

QUESTIONS

  1. Which trial, 1, 2, 3, or 4 required the least amount of effort force?
  1. Which trial, 1, 2, 3 or 4 required the weights to travel the greatest distance?
  1. An inclined plane decreases the amount of force required to lift an object, but it increaseswhat?
  1. What is the advantage of using an inclined plane?
  1. What is the disadvantage of using an inclined plane?
  1. How does the amount of work compare between all 4 trials? Explain (hint: they should be really close)
  1. How much force would be needed to accomplish the same task with a 4 meter long inclined plane? (Show work) (*USE DATA from front- amount of work stays the same!)
  1. If an object must be raised 12 meters how long of an inclined plane would be needed to provide a mechanical advantage of 4? Show your work!

1