Lab: Inclined Plane

Goal: To determine the magnitude of forces on a block on an inclined plane.

Materials and Equipment

(Equipment included in the physics kit is noted in square brackets [].)

[Spring scale] or balance
[acrylic sheet] or other smooth flat surface on which you can slide things with as little friction as possible.
[Pulley] which you can clamp to the edge of your surface. If you can't find a pulley, reduce the friction at the edge by using a roll of plastic tubing along the edge.
several sliders: These should have flat surfaces on the side where they will be in contact with the support surface and be as smooth as possible. Possibilities include metal coins, wood blocks, plastic blocks, ice pucks made in tuna cans. Remember that these must slide, not roll (we'll roll objects later).
pins, tape, or other means of fastening fishing line or string to your slider.
[nylon fishing line] string
[Set of standard weights] or similar weights such as coins; try to weed out any that are too worn). These do not have to be any particular unit, but they should all be the same.
a bucket, sack, or other means of keeping the weights together.
blocks or other means of inclining your slide surface
stop watch
[protractor with swing arm to measure vertical angle]

Procedure

Record your hypothesis: how will acceleration depend on the angle of the sliding surface?
Weigh your slide. If you use a cup or other container to hold your sliders or weights, you should weigh it also and include its weight along with your standard weight for total weights below.
Fasten the pulley or tubing to your surface edge.
Fasten the string to your slider
Run the string over the edge of the tubing so that it hangs down; fasten your cup or other weight holder to the end.
Start adding weights to the end of the string.
Record the total amount of weight required for your slide to start moving.
Time the drop if you can.
Repeat the above procedure for each slide with the slide surface inclined at 2-5 degree intervals for high slope (a low slope may allow your mass to accelerate too quickly to measure differences in drop rates).
Make a table which shows the mass of the slide, the weight required to overcome static friction, the angle of the incline, and the drop time.
Estimate errors for each of your measurements.

Data Handling

Data Reduction

Display your information appropriately in table format. Use data reduction techniques such as those outlined in the Data Handling section of the Falling Bodies lab to analyze your data.

Determine the dependence of acceleration on the angle of inclination. Is this a linear function? A non-linear function? How can you show this?

Lab Report requirements

Your report should include:

A description of your equipment and procedure, in enough detail that a reasonably intelligent fellow student could repeat your experiment.
Your data, arranged in tables or other format so that it is easy to read and relate values.
Your error estimates for your measurements.
Your conclusions.
A description of your equipment and procedures which is sufficiently detailed that I could repeat your experiment myself to check your results.
Your raw data and calculated data, with explanations of your assumptions and calculations.
Your conclusions about acceleration: is it constant?

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