Use your ESI as needed to complete this lab
Name:
Class:
Date:
I. Title: Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE) vs Height
IV:
DV:
II. Testable Question:
III. Hypothesis:
IV. Materials
1 Ramp and tape
1 Marble
1 Meterstick
1 Cup
V. Procedure
1.
Find the mass of the marble (​measure in grams and convert to kilograms by moving the
decimal point 3 places to the left example 1.0 grams = .001 kg​) and record the data in the data
table.
2. Make a stack of 9 textbooks on the floor.
3. Measure the distance from the floor to the top of the stack and record the height in the data table.
Measure in centimeters and convert to meters by moving the decimal point 2 places to the
left example 1.0 cm = .01 meters.
4. Place one end of the ramp on the top of the stack of books. Use tape if necessary to hold ramp.
5. Place the other end of the ramp against a cup placed on the floor. Line up the opening cut into the
cup with the end of the ramp. Use tape if necessary to hold ramp.
6. Place the meter stick on the floor so that the zero mark lines up with the base of the ramp.
7. Roll the marble down the ramp so that it goes into the cup.
8. Record the distance that the cup moves from the starting point - measure in centimeters..
9. Repeat steps 2-8 using 6 books.
10. Repeat steps 2-8 using 3 books.
11. Use the formula M
​ ass X Height X Gravity ​to calculate the gravitational potential energy for each
height​.​ round to nearest one thousandth spot (ex: .0016 converts to .002)
Use your ESI as needed to complete this lab
VI. Data
GPE vs. Height of Ramp
Mass of
marble (kg)
Height ( m)
Gravity ( m/s​2​)
Distance cup
moved (cm)
Gravitational Potential Energy (Joules)
Calculated by
Mass X Height X Gravity
9.8
9.8
9.8
Make and attach graph
VII. Conclusion
VIII.Questions
1.
Name 2 constants in the experiment:
2.
At what height did the cup move the most? Explain why you think this happened.
3. What 2 things could be done to improve the reliability of the experiment?
Use your ESI as needed to complete this lab