Name: Date:

HANDS-ON LAB

!
Investigate the Transfer of
Energy
You will roll balls with different masses down a ramp at different heights. You will
record how these factors affect the distance a cup moves when the balls hit it.

Procedure and Analysis

STEP 1 Stack the books until they are about 20 cm high. Place
one end of the plywood ramp on the books. Use Materials
masking tape to mark a starting point at the top of the
ramp. Use a second piece of masking tape to mark a • balance
position near the bottom of the ramp where the target
cup will be placed. • balls, of different masses

• books
STEP 2 Use the balance to find the mass of Ball 1. Record the
mass in the table below. • plywood ramp

• cup, plastic, with a section

of the side cut out

• masking tape

Ball Mass Distance moved: low ramp Distance moved: high ramp
1 trial 1
1 trial 2

2 trial 1
2 trial 2

3 trial 1
3 trial 2

STEP 3 Place the target cup with its cut side down on the masking tape. The open
top of the cup should face the ramp so it can catch the ball. Release Ball 1
from the starting point at the top of the ramp. Measure the distance the cup
moves after it catches the ball. Record your data in the table.

STEP 4 Repeat Steps 2 and 3 with other balls that have different masses.

STEP 5 Add twice as many books to the stack to change the slope of the ramp.
Repeat Steps 3 and 4.

STEP 6 How did the distance the cup moved change as the mass of the ball
changed? How did the distance change as the height of the ramp
changed?

Hands-On Lab Worksheet 1 of 2 Changes in Energy

Original content copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Name: Date:
As the mass of the ball increased, the distance the cup moved increased / decreased

As the height of the ramp increased, the distance the cup moved increased / decreased

STEP 7 CONCLUSION Use the results of the activity to construct a statement

about how mass and speed affect the transfer of kinetic energy. How can
this investigation serve as a model for collisions in the real world?
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1. What are two constants (stayed the same) in this lab?

1. ______________________________ 2. _____________________________

2. What is the definition for energy?

Energy is ______________________________________________________________________

3. Where in this lab is there a transformation of energy?

The energy changed from potential to kinetic when ______________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

4. Where in this lab is there a transfer of energy?

Energy transferred from the ________________ to the _________________

5. Where is the potential energy the greatest?

At the top of the ramp / at the bottom of the ramp

6. Where is the kinetic energy the greatest?

While the ball was rolling down the ramp / before the ball was dropped down the ramp

Hands-On Lab Worksheet 2 of 2 Changes in Energy

Original content copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.