Locate an area that has at least four meters of smooth, level surface. This area could be a tile, linoleum, or smooth concrete surface. Avoid carpeted areas if possible. If you are doing this outside, something like a basketball court could be perfect.

Set up a launch ramp. A three-inch binder would be perfect for this if you have one. If not, improvise one using materials that you have at hand. A file folder on top of that will help to give a smooth transition to the ground. Place a mark on the folder, so that you can start the ball in the same place every time.

Set up a straight, level path to serve as the course for a rolling ball. Use a ruler and small pieces of tape to mark the following intervals: ready start (zero position), 100.0 cm, 200.0 cm, 300.0 cm, and 400.0 cm. Zero position should be on the level ground near the bottom of the ramp.

Participant 1 will be the ball roller and should stand behind the start position. Participant 2 will operate the stopwatch and should be positioned to easily view when the ball crosses each marking.

Participant 1 should place the ball on the mark on the ramp. When the timer is ready, they will release the ball.

Participant 2 will start the stopwatch when the ball reaches the starting position at the bottom of the ramp and stop the stopwatch at the instant the rolling ball reaches the 100.0 cm mark. Record time in Table 1.

Repeat step 6, starting the stopwatch when the ball reaches the starting position at the bottom of the ramp and stopping the stopwatch when the ball reaches the 200.0 cm mark. Record time in Table 1.

Repeat step 6, starting the stopwatch when the ball reaches the starting position at the bottom of the ramp and stopping your stopwatch when the ball reaches the 300.0 cm mark. Record time in Table 1.

Repeat step 6, starting the stopwatch when the ball reaches the starting position at the bottom of the ramp and stopping your stopwatch when the ball reaches the 400.0 cm mark. Record time in Table 1.

Using the graphing software of your choice, make a plot of distance vs. time. Do a curve fit on the data, finding a curve fit type that fits your data points well. Save a copy of your graph as graph A.

Make a second graph, using the point (0, 0) and your data for Trial 4. That shows the time for the entire 400 cm roll. Do a linear fit on that graph. Save a copy of your graph as graph B.

Complete the questions in the worksheet before submitting.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hs1HZiJWNY2nq1Qu57E5Dn_1Ohqyry7x/view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HFcIpbMhUmupbs1pP59JghLYIt2uCqs9/view

Data CollectionTable 1:

Trials	Distance (cm)	Time (s)	Average Speed (cm/s) (see question 2)
Start	0 cm	0.0
1	100.0 cm (first section)
2	200.0 cm (first two sections)
3	300.0 cm (first three sections)
4	400.0 cm (entire distance)

Data Collection - Table 2:

Overall Average Speed (cm/s) from graph B

Graph A
Graph B

Questions: Answer using complete sentences and show your work for all calculations.

1. How does the shape of graph A compare to the shape of graph B?

1. For graph A, you can determine the average speed over any interval by using the slope formula, m = y/x. Using two adjacent points, determine the average speed over each interval you plotted. Be sure toshow your work for all calculations. Include the average speeds in Table 1.

1. On graph B, find the slope of the line. That is the average speed for that graph. Record that in Table 2.

1. Why are the speed values in Table 1 and Table 2 called "average" instead of "instantaneous"?

1. Refer to the data from trials 1-4.
   1. What happens to the average speed of the rolling ball as it moves from one 100.0 cmsegmentto the next 100.0 cmsegment?

1. What causes the change in the ball's speed as it moves from one 100.0 cmsegmentto the next 100.0 cmsegment?

1. How do the average speed values for the shorter intervals compare to the average speed value for Graph B?