SCI 141- 101: Physical Science

Experiment 8: Distance vs. Time of an Object Rolling Down an Inclined Plane

Lillian Blizzard

Ty’Nijae Cooper, Mikaela Johnston, Meghan McKee, and Cierra Robinson

Monday March 29th, 2019

Dr. Nora Ortega

Abstract

In this experiment, the relationship between distance and time was determined. The graph

portraying distance and time showed a parabola, which shows the relation between variables is not a

direct proportion because at zero seconds the car would be moving when it actually was at rest. The

graph portraying distance and time squared showed a linear tendency; it indicated the relationship

between distance (d) and time squared (s2) is directly proportional. The equation that correlates with

these variables was d=0.28t2+0.05, where the units of the slope (0.28) and the y-intercept (0.05) were

m/s2 and m, respectively. By comparing the distance vs time experimental and theoretical equations,

we were able to calculate the experimental acceleration of the car from the slope of the line. The

experimental acceleration (a) of the car was calculated to be 0.56 m/s2.

Introduction

The problem in the experiment was to see what type of motion the car on the inclined plane

displayed, either according to Aristotle or Galileo’s views on motion. To understand motion, the

teacher presented information on two views of motion from Aristotle and Galileo. Aristotle, a

philosopher, concluded heavy objects fall faster than light objects. Aristotle came up with the equation

v=d/t, where v is for velocity, d is for distance, and t is for time. Galileo, a scientist, did not agree with

Aristotle and concluded light objects and heavy objects fall together in free fall. Galileo came up with

the equation d=at2/2, where d is distance, a is acceleration, and t is time.

Ms. Homeowner has an underground tank located “2.6 km” away from her home (Wenner & Baer,

2019). The velocity of the groundwater in her area is “0.333 km/day” (Wenner & Baer, 2019). If there

are contaminants leaking from the tank, how long will it take them to reach Ms. Homeowner’s well

(Wenner & Baer, 2019)? According to Wenner and Baer (2019), this is how to solve the problem using

the equation t=d/v (Aristotle’s equation). The distance is equal to 2.6 km. The velocity is equal to

0.033 km per day.

 𝑑
𝑡=
𝑣

2.6 𝑘𝑚
𝑡=
𝑘𝑚
0.033
𝑑𝑎𝑦

𝑘𝑚
𝑡 = 79
𝑘𝑚
𝑑𝑎𝑦

𝑘𝑚 𝑑𝑎𝑦
𝑡 = 79( )( 𝑘𝑚 )
1

Km on the top and km on the bottom cancel out, resulting in day being the unit.

𝑡 = 79 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠

Theory

Aristotle believed heavy objects would fall faster than lighter objects, but Aristotle did not take

into account air resistance. Aristotle believed heavier objects fell at a constant speed, meaning velocity

is constant and acceleration is equal to zero (a=0). Aristotle thought mass was directly proportional to

velocity, mass was directly proportional to distance, mass was directly proportional to 1/time (inverse

of time), and distance was directly proportional to time. Based on these things he came up with the

equation v=d/t, where v is for velocity, d is for distance, and t is time. Since Aristotle believed distance

and time were directly proportionally, his graph looked like graph 1, where the slope of the line is

equal to the velocity of the moving object.

Galileo did not agree with Aristotle view on motion, rather he believed heavy and light objects

fall together in free fall. Galileo believed the speed of the objected increased with time during free fall,

meaning acceleration is constant throughout free fall. Galileo believed average velocity was directly

proportional to t, average velocity was directly proportional to distance, and distance was directly

proportional to time squared. Galileo believed when distance vs. time was graphed it would create a

parabola, like graph 2, because they are not directly proportional. When distance vs. time2 was graphed

it would create a linear relationship, meaning distance and time2 are directly proportional to each other
as shown in graph 3. According to Galileo’s graph, the acceleration of an object is equal to twice the

slope on the graph of distance vs. time2.

Graph 1. Graph 2. Graph 3.

Aristotle: Distance Galileo: Distance vs. Galileo: Distance

vs. Time Time vs. Time2

Distance, d
Distance, d

Distance, d
Time, t Time, t Time2, t2

For the experiment, the car will be released at different distances on the inclined plane. The group will

measure how much time the car takes to get to the bottom of the inclined plane from the different

distances. The lab group will also calculate the acceleration from the distance vs. time2 graph using the

equation from the graph 5 and d=at2/2.

Hypothesis

If the motion of the car is according to Galileo’s ideas, then the distance is directly proportional

to time squared.

List of Variables

The control variables are the mass of car, the length of the ramp, ruler, incline of the metal

ramp, foam block, and wood blocks. The manipulated variable is the distance the car travels down the

inclined metal ramp. The response variable is the time it takes for the car to travel different distances

down the inclined metal ramp.

Objectives

To determine the relationship between distance and time of an object rolling down an

unchanged inclined plane.

Materials
 - 4 wood blocks
- Centimeter stick
- Foam block
- Car
- Metal ramp
- Masking tape
- Ruler
- Stop watch
- Calculator
- Lab table or flat surface

Diagram 1.

Diagram 2.

Procedure
 1. Tape the centimeter stick to the metal ramp with the masking tape, starting with zero. The

centimeter stick goes on the opposite long side from where you are standing.

2. Place three wood blocks on top of each other. Then place the metal ramp onto of the wood

blocks. The centimeter stick attached to the metal ramp on top of the blocks starts at zero.

3. Place the foam block followed by the fourth wood block at the bottom of the ramp. This helps

the car stop.

4. Starting from the bottom of the centimeter stick, where it says 100 centimeters, place the car at

the distances specified on the worksheet. After you place the car at the specific measurement,

place the ruler in front of it to keep the car at the specific distance. Have another team member

start the stopwatch when another team member picks up the ruler, prompting the release of the

car. The team member with the stopwatch will then press stop as soon as the car runs into the

foam and wood blocks. Record the time on the stopwatch in the data table.

5. Replace the foam and wood blocks at the end of the ramp and repeat each distance three times.

6. When each distance is performed three times, find the average time for each distance. The

average time is found by adding up all the times in a specific distance and dividing by 3.

Record your results in the data table.

7. Convert distance in centimeters to meters in your data table.

8. Add a column for average time squared. Then square each value in the average time column.

Record in the new column.

9. Graph distance (y-axis) and time (x-axis) in excel.

10. Graph distance (y-axis) and time2 (x-axis) in excel.

Experimental Data

The Time it Takes for a Car to Roll Down a Specific Distance on an Inclined Plane
Table 1.
Distance Distance Time (t1) Time (t2) Time (t3) Average Average
(cm) (m) (s) (s) (s) Time (t) (s) time
 squared (t2)
(s2)
10.0 0.100 0.42 0.31 0.59 0.44 0.19

20.0 0.200 0.89 0.87 0.99 0.92 0.85

30.0 0.300 1.07 1.03 1.13 1.08 1.17

40.0 0.400 1.09 1.22 1.17 1.16 1.35

50.0 0.500 1.14 1.35 1.06 1.18 1.39

60.0 0.600 1.31 1.27 1.41 1.33 1.77

70.0 0.700 1.41 1.25 1.43 1.36 1.85

80.0 0.800 1.40 1.73 1.23 1.45 2.10

90.0 0.900 1.73 1.92 1.74 1.80 3.24

100.0 1.00 1.87 1.89 1.89 1.88 3.53

Graph 4.
Distance vs. Time
1.4

1.2

1
Distance (d), m

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
Time (t), s

In graph 4, the graph resembles a parabola. This means the slope is not constant.
 Graph 5.
Distance vs. Time2
1.2
d = 0.28t2 + 0.05
1 R² = 0.9174

0.8
Distance (d), m

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4
Time2 (t2), s2

In graph 5, the associated relationship between distance and time2 is linear meaning the slope is half

the acceleration of the car going down the inclined ramp.

Sample of Calculation

For calculating the average time:

To find the average time of the car rolling down the inclined plane, you add t1+t2+t3, then you

divide by three. t= ( t1+t2+t3)/3. For distance 10.0 centimeters, t1=0.42 seconds, t2=0.31 seconds,

t3=0.59 seconds.

𝑡1 +𝑡2 + 𝑡3
𝑡=
3
 (0.42 + 0.31 + 0.59)𝑠
𝑡=
3

𝑡 = 0.44𝑠

For calculating the average time squared:

To find the average time squared, you take each average time and raise it to the power of 2. For

distance 10.0 centimeters, the average time was 0.44 seconds.

Average time2 = (Average time)2

Average time2= (0.44s)2

Average time2= 0.19 s2

For calculating the acceleration of the car:

The equation for slope is y=mx, where m is the slope of the graph and the x is any variable.

Galileo’s equation is d=at2/2. From the comparison of these equations, located in the next section, m

and a/2 are equal to each other, resulting in this equation a/2=m. For this equation, m=0.28 based on

the equation from graph 5. From the completion of the equation, the acceleration for the car is equal to

0.56 m/s2.

𝑎
=𝑚
2
𝑎 𝑚
= 0.28 2
2 s

2 𝑎 𝑚 2
∗ = 0.28 2 ∗
1 2 𝑠 1
𝑚
𝑎 = 0.56
𝑠2

Discussion of the Results

There is a positive correlation between my measurements and the final results agreeing with

Galileo’s ideas of motion. There is no correlation with the final results and Aristotle’s idea of motion.

From graph 4, distance vs. time, I concluded the relationship between distance and time is a parabola.
Since the graph is a parabola and it is above the x-axis, this means the line will never touch the point

(0,0). This means when the car is at rest, the graph says that it is moving. This is not true, which makes

the relation between distance and time not have a direct relationship. For graph 5, distance vs. time2,

the relationship between distance and time2 is a direct proportion because the graph portrayed a linear

relationship. This means the slope is half the acceleration because the equation is the same as d=at2/2,

where a/2 is equal to the slope. Based on the graphs, the experimental results agree with Galileo’s

theory rather than Aristotle’s. Galileo’s ideas corresponded with both graphs, where he said distance

vs. time would be a parabola and distance vs. time2 would be a direct proportion. As stated above,

Galileo’s equation is also equal to the equation from the distance vs. time2 graph. Possible sources of

error are not pushing stop on the stopwatch at the correct time when the car hit the foam block and not

setting the car at the correct distance on the centimeter stick. Not pushing stop at the correct time on

the stop watch can result in an error of the actual time the car took to travel the specified distance on

the inclined plane. If the car was not placed at the correct distance on the centimeter stick resulting in

an error of the correct time the car would take to travel the specified distance on the inclined plane.

Questions from lab worksheet:

1. For graph 1, what does the shape of the graph and the “best-fit” curve tell us about the

mathematical relationship between distance and time?

The shape of the graph and the “best-fit” curve tells us the mathematical relationship between

distance and time is a parabola.

2. Determine the equation that correlates d and t2 using Excel “trend line.”

d=0.28t2+0.05

3. What is the value and units of the slope?

Y 𝑚
𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 = X = s2 = 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

Slope= 0.28 (m/s2)

 4. Compare the equation determined by using Excel for d vs t2 with d= at2/2

d= 0.28 t2+0.05
𝑎
𝑑= 𝑡2
2

5. Calculate the acceleration of the car using the slope found in the graph d vs t2 (see Q4).

𝑎 𝑚
= 0.28 2
2 𝑠
𝑚
𝑎 = (0.28)(2)
𝑠2

𝑎 = 0.56 m/s2

The acceleration of the car is equal to 0.56 m/s2. Half the acceleration is equal to the slope, which is

0.28. This corresponds with Galileo’s equation.

6. Do your results seem to agree with Galileo’s ideas or Aristotle’s ideas about the motion?

The results seem to agree with Galileo’s ideas about motion.

Conclusions

The relationship between distance and time2 is a direct proportion. The experimental equation

that describes this relation was d=0.28t2+0.05, showing the slope which corresponds to half the

acceleration of the car. This means the motion of the car on an inclined plane matches Galileo’s theory

of motion, resulting in an answer to the objective. Since Galileo’s theory was proven correct with the

graph of distance vs. time squared, my hypothesis is true because it was based on Galileo’s theory of

motion, however the relationship between distance and time is a direct square relation. The

acceleration of the car was determined by comparing the theoretical equation with the experimental

equation, determining that it is 0.56 m/s2. Since Galileo’s idea of motion was proven correctly, it

means that heavy and light objects fall at the same rate increasing speed through different periods of

time, which proves Aristotle’s theory of motion to be wrong. A possible source of error could be

attributed to the group member not pushing stop at the correct time, resulting in an error of the actual
time it took the car to travel from the distance on the inclined plane. Another possible source of error

could be the group member not setting the car at the correct distance, resulting in an error in the correct

time it would take the car to travel the distance of the inclined plane. A suggested change to the

experiment for next time could be to have an automatic timer that stops recording when the car hits the

foam block at the bottom of the metal ramp. This way there is no error in the team member stopping

the stop watch too early or too late.

References

Wenner, J. M., & Baer, E. M. (2019). Velocity, distance and time. Retrieved from

https://serc.carleton.edu/mathyouneed/equations/ManEqSP.html