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Mechanical Energy Conservation Lab Report

The lab report investigates the conservation of mechanical energy by analyzing the changes in kinetic and potential energy of a cart moving down a ramp. The experiment shows that total mechanical energy remains nearly constant, with theoretical and experimental values closely matching. Sources of error include friction, air resistance, and measurement inaccuracies.

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oh2822008
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10 views3 pages

Mechanical Energy Conservation Lab Report

The lab report investigates the conservation of mechanical energy by analyzing the changes in kinetic and potential energy of a cart moving down a ramp. The experiment shows that total mechanical energy remains nearly constant, with theoretical and experimental values closely matching. Sources of error include friction, air resistance, and measurement inaccuracies.

Uploaded by

oh2822008
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Lab Report: Conservation of Mechanical Energy

Aim
To investigate how the cart’s kinetic energy, potential energy, and total mechanical energy change as it
moves down a ramp.

Equipment
- Ramp
- Bluetooth cart
- Computer with data-logging app
- Ruler

Below is an image of the ramp setup used in the experiment:

Method
1. Connect the Bluetooth cart to the data-logging app on the computer.
2. Set the display to show both velocity and position.
3. Raise the ramp to approximately 10°.
4. Place the cart at the top of the ramp and record the vertical height as the initial reference point.
5. Use the ruler to measure the vertical height of positions at 30 cm, 40 cm, 50 cm, 60 cm, and 70 cm.
6. Perform theoretical calculations for potential energy, kinetic energy, and total mechanical energy.
7. Start the cart from the 30 cm mark and let it move to 60 cm, recording velocity at each point.
8. Repeat for remaining positions.
9. Compare theoretical and experimental values.

Results
The following images show the recorded data table and graph:
Calculations
Potential Energy: PE = mgh
Kinetic Energy: KE = 1/2 mv²
Total Mechanical Energy: E = KE + PE

Height change (∆h) was calculated using:


∆h = 0.90 m − (measured position)

Discussion
The experiment demonstrates that total mechanical energy remains nearly constant as the cart moves
down the ramp. The theoretical and experimental values closely matched, supporting the conservation
of energy with only minor deviations.

Sources of Error
- Friction between cart and ramp
- Air resistance
- Small inaccuracies in distance or height measurements
- Human error when reading values from the graph

Conclusion
The results support the principle of conservation of mechanical energy. As the cart moved downward,
potential energy was converted into kinetic energy, while the total energy remained approximately
constant.

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