What is the Effect of Large Objects Colliding with Smaller Objects?

Researched by Adrielle S.
2000-01

 
 


PURPOSE
 

The purpose of this experiment was to find out if larger objects always have more force than smaller objects when they collide.

I became interested in this idea when I saw my four-year old brother playing with toy racecars and when I read a magazine article about automobile accidents.

The information gained from this experiment will help people determine which type of cars to purchase when looking at the possibilities of automobile accidents.

HYPOTHESIS

My hypothesis was that larger objects would always have more force than smaller objects in a collision.

I base my hypothesis on personal experiences in automobile accidents and testing with glass marbles and steel ball bearings at home.

EXPERIMENT DESIGN
 

The constants in this study were: 
The same person releasing the marbles or ball bearings
The same cardboard rolls used for the marbles and ball bearings to run on
The same marbles or ball bearings were used at all times
The experiment was conducted in the same place every time (on carpet)
The distance from the openings of the cardboard rolls from which the marbles or ball bearings collided or departed from 

The manipulated variable was mass of the glass marbles and steel ball bearings.

The responding variable was the distance the force moved each marble or ball bearing away from "point zero" after it had collided with another marble or ball bearing on the track.

To measure the responding variable I measured the distance of the marbles and ball bearings from "point zero" in centimeters with a metric ruler.

MATERIALS
 
QUANTITY ITEM DESCRIPTION
1 triple beam balance
2 ball bearings (225 g, 95g)
2 glass marbles (56g, 19g)
1 cardboard gift wrap roll
1 roll of metric tape
1 roll of masking tape
1 cardboard box
1 permanent ink marker

PROCEDURES

1. Mark 3 cm from top of tube. Stand up cardboard roll on cardboard box with mark on edge of box to form a ramp. 
2. Place the stationary marble 1 cm away from the opening of the ramp
3. Place the first ball bearing on the ramp and the second largest ball bearing on the 1 cm mark.
4. Release the ball on the ramp.
5. Allowing the ball bearings or marbles to roll freely in any direction, measure the stationary ball’s distance from point the 1 cm mark when the ball has come to a complete stop.
6. Repeat process with the same ball on the ramps and the same stationary ball 50 times.
7. Inspect glass marbles for any chips or crack and make note of any defects. 
8. Record data.
9. Switch marbles and place the former stationary marble on the ramp and repeat steps 2 through 8.
10. Switch sets of marbles. 
11. Repeat steps 2 through 10


RESULTS

The original purpose of this experiment was to determine if larger objects always have more force than smaller objects in a collision.

The results of the experiment were that the average distance of a 19 gram ball was 66.7 centimeters longer than the 225 gram ball.

See my data graph.

CONCLUSION

My hypothesis was that larger objects would have more force than smaller objects when they collide.

The results indicate that a moving ball with greater mass impacting a ball results in greater distance traveled by stationary ball than a moving ball with smaller mass impacting the same stationary ball.

Because of the results of this experiment, I wonder if friction had a very large effect and I wonder if, because of the different sizes of the balls, the angle at which the ball was struck affected the manner in which it rolled.

If I were to conduct this project again I would use one stationary ball and use moving balls of different masses so that I could plot the results on a linear graph. 


 
 
 
RESEARCH REPORT

Introduction

Force is a pull or a push causing something to move or change its shape. Motion is something that happens because a force pushes or pulls an object. If several forces act together, they can keep things in the state that they are in or make them balance. An object’s mass will help it resist the force acting upon it or change its state in motion. Equal forces acting on an object in opposite directions will have no effect. When equal forces that are acting in the same direction combine, they will give an overall called the resultant. 

Sir Isaac Newton’s Three Laws of Motion

According to Sir Isaac Newton, force is what causes objects to move. Newton’s first law of motion says an object at rest will remain at rest until acted upon by an outside force. An object in motion will remain in motion until acted upon by an outside force. 

Newton’s second law of motion is that when an external force acts on a body, it produces acceleration of the body in the direction of the force.

Newton’s last law states that when one body exerts force on a second body, the second body exerts an equal and opposite force on the first body. This explains why a force tends to change the shape of a body. 

A formula that is included in Newton’s Laws of motion is this:
    F=ma 
Force equals the mass of the object multiplied by the acceleration of the object.

Inertia

Inertia is a force that helps an object resist a change in motion. An object's inertia depends on the object’s mass. A larger object, such as a car, is harder to move than rolling a basketball because the car has more inertia. 

Friction
Friction is a force that resists the sliding or rolling of one solid object over another. Traction is needed to walk without. Rolling friction occurs when a ball, rolling bearing, or cylinder rolls freely over a surface. A ball rolling on a level surface is somewhat flattened and the level surface is indented. The deformation or compression keeps the ball from continuing in its motion forever. It produces friction.

Acceleration

Acceleration is the change of direction or speed of an object. It is a time rate at which a velocity is changing. Velocity has magnitude and direction. The velocity of a point or moving in a straight line can only change in magnitude. If the object is on a curving path, it may or may not change in magnitude. It will always change in direction. If the velocity vector is decreasing, the acceleration vector will point in the opposite direction. 

Gravity

Gravity is what keeps everything on the ground. It affects everything on earth because the earth has gravity. All of the planets in our solar system have gravity. Gravity is an attraction between two or more objects. It is what makes things come crashing down on the earth. Without gravity, humans, plants, animals, and objects would be floating around in space.

Summary

Without forces to keep us from continuing in a straight line when we ride a bike, and without Newton’s Laws of Motion, we would have no knowledge about why a ball rolls and how it slows to a stop. Forces are needed to understand what is going on in the world and why it happens.

 
Bibliography
 
 

1. "Acceleration," Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000, „ 1999-2000, Microsoft Corporation

2. "Acceleration," World Book Encyclopedia, Chicago, 1999, vol. 1

3. "Acceleration," Academic American Encyclopedia, 1998, vol. 1, pp. 72

4. "Acceleration," Britannica Micropedia, 1989, vol. 1, pp. 53, Chicago

5. "Automobile," Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000, „ 1999-2000, Microsoft Corporation

6. "Force," Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000,„ 1999-2000, Microsoft Corporation

7. "Force," World Book Encyclopedia, Chicago,  1999, vol. 7

8.  "Force," Encyclopedia Britannica, 1974, Chicago, vol. 4, pp. 875

9. "Force," Millennium Family Encyclopedia, „ 1997, DK Publishing Inc., London

10. "Friction," Encyclopedia Britannica, 1989, vol. 5, Chicago, pp.8

11. "Inertia," Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000, „ 1999-2000, Microsoft Corporation

12. "Mechanics," Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000, „ 1999-2000, Microsoft Corporation

13.  "Momentum," Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000, „ 1999-2000, Microsoft Corporation

14. "Trucks," Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000, „ 1999-2000, Microsoft Corporation
 

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

 I would like to thank the following people for helping me make my science project a success:

     -My mother, Adalcita S., for driving me to the various places I needed to go to after school to retrieve the supplies I needed.

     -My father, Ruben S., for giving me advice and for helping me organize my data.

     -Mr. Arambul, for all the advice and suggestions he made to help me make my project better.

     -Mrs. Pasckvale, for helping me organize my project board.

     -And Mr. Newkirk, the great teacher that guided me, gave me good advice, and helped me change my science assignment into a memorable and fun learning experience. 

Thank you all very much for all of your support!

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