I. Marble Roll Lab Data Collection:

Marble
Mass (g)
Distance carton moved (cm)
#1
7g
.5cm
#2
44g
36cm
#3
75g
40cm

II. Marble Roll Lab Questions:

2. In this experiment, at what position on the inclined plane do the marbles have the most potential energy? Explain why.
Type Answer HERE:
3. In this experiment, at what position on the inclined plane do the marbles have the most kinetic energy? Explain why.
Type Answer HERE:
4. As the mass of the marbles increased, how did that change the amount of potential and kinetic energy of the marble? Explain why.
Type Answer HERE:
5. If we increased the height of the ramp to twice its original height, how would this affect the overall Kinetic & Potential Energy of the investigation? Explain why.
Type Answer HERE:
6. The total energy of the investigation is called its Mechanical Energy. The Mechanical Energy of an investigation is the total amount of Kinetic + Potential Energy. During the investigation, what happens to the total energy of the system? Explain why.
Type Answer HERE:

1 answer

2. The marbles have the most potential energy when they are at the highest point on the inclined plane. This is because potential energy is directly related to the height of an object above a reference point. As the marble moves up the inclined plane, it gains height and therefore gains potential energy.

3. The marbles have the most kinetic energy when they are at the bottom of the inclined plane. This is because kinetic energy is related to the speed of an object. As the marble rolls down the inclined plane, its speed increases and therefore its kinetic energy increases.

4. As the mass of the marbles increased, it would increase both the potential and kinetic energy of the marble. This is because both potential and kinetic energy are directly proportional to mass. As the mass increases, the potential energy increases because there is more mass to raise to a certain height. Similarly, the kinetic energy increases because there is more mass to accelerate.

5. If we increased the height of the ramp to twice its original height, it would increase both the overall potential and kinetic energy of the investigation. This is because potential energy is directly related to height, so doubling the height would double the potential energy. Additionally, the marble would have a longer distance to travel down the ramp, allowing it to gain more speed and therefore more kinetic energy.

6. During the investigation, the total energy of the system remains constant. This is because of the principle of conservation of energy, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed. In the marble roll lab, the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy as the marble rolls down the inclined plane, but the total energy of the system remains the same. Some energy may be lost to friction or air resistance, but overall, the total energy remains constant.