Landslides: What Causes Rocks to Slide Down a Slope?

Abstract Question Procedures

Friction affects the motion of an object sliding down a slope. When stacks of pennies slide down on slopes at which the Securely tape the protractor
When two surfaces are pressed together, the molecules surfaces are a plain clipboard, a paper towel sheet, and a Place the clipboard on the Place the prepared penny stack
sandpaper sheet, at which surface will the angle of repose be along the edge of the table so
experience attractive forces between one another. The test table so the end of the on the clipboard, touching the
greater? that the zero angle mark of
performed is designed to find out the surface that has more clipboard is lined up with the clip at the top.Make sure that the
friction and which surface will have the greatest angle of repose. the protractor is aligned to the
zero mark of the protractor. paper towel strip is touching the
Hypothesis edge.
clipboard.
Some landslides totay occur due to human causes. The purpose Hypothesis: If I slide a stack of pennies down a regular
of this experiment is to use different surfaces, which correspond clipboard, a paper towel, and a sandpaper sheet, then the angle
to the different materials on a slope, and find out which surface of repose at which the stack of pennies falls will be greater for the
Stop tilting the board when
cause a stack of pennies to fall down at a greater angle of sandpaper due to its rougher texture. Holding onto the clip, slowly
the penny stack slides at
repose. Looking at this, people can have an idea of how likely Use the paper towel and and steadily lift the clipboard.
Null Hypothesis: Despite the downward movement of the stacks least halfway down the
landslides are to occur in their area. sandpaper sheets. The bottom of the board
of pennies due to the elevation of the slope, the surfaces clipboard. Note the angle of
should stay put at the zero
themselves will remain on the clipboard. repose.
point on the protractor.
Background
Causes and Their Effects
Variables Data and Results
Landslides can result from several causes, which include earthquakes, Controlled Variable
volcanic activity, and rain and erosion. Rain adds weight to the side of a • Motion at which the clipboard was being lifted Table 1. Angle of Repose Using Stack of Four Pennies
slope, and sometimes a slope can be weakened by a stream, which
can cause erosion. Human causes of landslides includes the removal of Independent Variable
vegetation, mining and quarrying activities, and excavation and • Surfaces used (plain clipboard, paper towel, and sandpaper) Trial Trial Trial Trial Trial Trial Trial Trial Trial Trial Standard
Average
1 2 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Deviation
displacement of rocks. It is estimated that they cause in excess of $1
billion in damages and from twenty five to fifty deaths each year in the Dependent Variable
United States. There are five main different types of landslide: slides, • Angle of repose at which the stack of pennies fell
flows, falls, topples, and lateral spreads. Plain
Materials Surfaces Clipboard
30 30 33 28 29 32 28 25 25 25 28.5 2.877

Gravitational Effects on a Slope

A landslide is geological process resulting in a downward movement
Paper Towel 61 58 54 57 58 54 57 54 56 49 55.8 3.259
from a slope of rock, soil, artificial fill, or a combination of the three
under the influence of gravity. Although different kinds of landslides of
Earth behave differently, they each have a different force in common
Sandpaper 70 74 61 77 63 75 69 79 74 81 72.3 6.550
that helps initiate them: gravity. Mass and distance affects the
gravitational attraction between objects. Gravitational effects on a slope
can be separated into components that are parallel to the slope, which Table 2. Angle of Repose Using Stack of Sixteen Pennies
pulls an object down a slope, and a component perpendicular to it,
Figure 2. Table
which pulls an object against the slope’s surface.
Figure 3. Pennies Trial Trial Trial Trial Trial Trial Trial Trial Trial Trial Standard
Average
Friction and Angle of Repose 1 2 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Deviation
As the angle of slope increases, gravity’s parallel component increases
and the perpendicular component decreases. This creates a resistance
for downward movement, called friction, and the object becomes Plain
20 13 16 17 16 12 14 12 13 13 14.6 2.591
unstable and slides down the slope. The strength of the force of friction Surfaces Clipboard
depends on how hard the surfaces push together and the types of
surfaces involved. The steepest angle at which loose material on a
Figure 4. Clear Adhesive Tape Paper Towel 40 41 38 36 36 31 35 32 31 30 35 3.916
slope remains motionless is the angle of repose.
Figure 5. Protractor

Sandpaper 45 42 45 45 44 44 42 39 40 44 43 2.160

Figure 5. Endomycorrizhal Conclusions Future Considerations

Fungi
Figure 6. Clipboard My hypothesis was if I put a stack of pennies on a regular clipboard, a
paper towel, and on sandpaper, then the angle of repose at which the stack
of pennies falls will be greater for the sandpaper. My hypothesis was
supported by the experimental data. The stack of pennies had the greatest
angle of repose for the slope with the surface of sandpaper. The sandpaper
surface is rougher than the paper towel surface and the clipboard surface,
Figure 1. Slopes demonstrating that the angle of repose decreases as gravity’s
Figure 9. Paper Towel so the friction between the sandpaper surface and the stack of pennies was
parallel component increases and the perpendicular component decreases.
Figure 8. Scissors higher.
Looking at this experiment, I see that there are many changes that I could
make in the future: changing the grit of the sandpaper so that it it either
rougher or smoother, changing the surface of the stack of pennies from a
bottom surface having a paper towel strip, to the bottom surface being
construction paper, copy paper, or even glass, using different objects to slide
down the slopes, such as other flat objects, and adding water to the surfaces
as the stack of pennies slides down the slope to mimic real causes of
landslides.

Bibliography
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