Weighted Tonka Trucks
Created by: Clayton Warren, Brandon Kelly, Peyton Ferguson
Introduction
In this project, they are trying to see if a heavier or lighter car will go farther on our ramp. the first the we are going to build a ramp thats about one and a half meters long and one meter tall. we are going to get three of the same car and strap three different weights sets to each car. we are going to to use 2, 5, and 7 kilograms. after we build the ramp we will put a marker every meter to measure distance, then make a table and graph for all of the data. the weight of the car and the downward force of gravity is going to make it go down the ramp faster but when it stops going down hill and starts going straight. the weight of the car and the friction of ground is going to eventually slow down the car and stops rolling.
The terrain thats going to be using is either a long flat piece of concrete and smooth dirt road. then we will have to check the weather to make sure its not going to rain and storm. If the rain gets on the ramp it could ruin the ramp. Then use three old trucks, the axles on the trucks turn the front two and back two wheels turn because of the momentum that gravity and the weight of the cars sends it “flying” down the ramp but eventually stopping because of the weights and friction.
The objective that is trying to be found out is which car goes farther with different weights. The purpose of this project is to have something go a long distance to deliver something to a friend. The idea came up from talking about weights and cars. So the ramp that is going to be made out of wood. The ramp will be about three meters long and the height of the high end will be three quarters of a meter high. To make the height we will put concrete bricks under the high end of the ramp. The wood thats being used is from Lows and the surface the truck will be rolling down is smooth for less friction on the ramp. The three trucks will weigh 2, 5, and 17 kilograms. The trucks might have to have some weight added to make the weights, and data accurate. This project will consist of three different hypothesis. The first hypothesis is asking the weights affect how far the truck will roll down the ramp and onto the ground. The second hypothesis is which weight will make the truck roll farther. The third hypothesis, I think that the heavier the truck is the farther it will go because of the weight and momentum that it creates.
The tonka truck has been a toy for a long time. They used to be made out of good metal and were not cheap at all. The truck was made by the company, “Mound Metalcraft” in beautiful Lake Minnetonka in mound, Minnesota. That is where the name Tonka came from. The truck was made in about 1947. The toy truck has been used from rolling around on the livingroom floor to playing outside in the dirt like a little construction sight. They're also made to to carry bigger rocks around. The truck will be used for in this experiment buy an object to be rolled down the ramp. The experiment will start with rolling it down the ramp then measuring the distance that it rolls. Then weight will be added to see if that will affect the distance that it rolls.
When they experiment gets going the measurements will be looked at to see if the heavier we got the truck the farther the truck rolled or the faster it stopped. In the experiment there will be two different size trucks so that the size of the truck might make a difference. The heavier truck will have the heaviest load so when the truck is released it will go the distance it will need to go.Method
Materials
1. 10 kilogram Tonka truck
2. 20 kilogram Tonka truck
3. 30 kilogram Tonka truck
4. Wood Ramp at 45 degrees
5. Concrete Block
6. Scale
7. Weights
8. Measuring Tape
Safety Precautions
1. Wear shoes so you don’t get hurt if your toe gets ran over.
Procedures
1. Assemble the ramp
2. Make the cars the precise weight with a scale
3. Set the car on the ramp
4. Let the car go down the ramp
5. Record the distance the car rolled
6. Roll the next car down the ramp
7. Record that data
8. Roll the small car down the ramp
9. Record the data
10. The steps will be repeated two more times
Discussion
The project resulted with the heaviest weighted car going the farthest distance. The heaviest car went the farthest because the weight created more momentum. The middle sized rolled a little shorter than the Heaviest weighted car. The smallest car rolled down the ramp the shortest distance.
Conclusion
The experiment went exactly the way it supposed to and it went perfectly with all of our hypothesis. What our group wants to know is how much more weight can be added and how much more it will change it.