Passage
A group of students studied what affects how far a small wheeled cart rolls after coasting down a ramp onto a level track. In each trial they released the cart from rest and measured the distance it traveled along the level track before stopping.
Experiment 1: Using the same cart and the same smooth wooden track, the students released the cart from four different ramp heights and recorded the distance rolled.
| Release height (cm) | Distance rolled (cm) |
|---|
| 10 | 55 |
| 20 | 108 |
| 30 | 160 |
| 40 | 210 |
Experiment 2: Holding the release height at 30 cm and using the same cart, the students changed the surface of the level track and recorded the distance rolled.
| Track surface | Distance rolled (cm) |
|---|
| Smooth wood | 160 |
| Short carpet | 78 |
| Sandpaper | 41 |
Experiment 3: Holding the release height at 30 cm and using the smooth wooden track, the students added mass to the cart and recorded the distance rolled.
| Cart mass (g) | Distance rolled (cm) |
|---|
| 100 | 158 |
| 200 | 160 |
| 400 | 159 |
