1. AS 1.1 Plan and Carry Out an Investigation You need a report with: An aim or hypothesis A method of testing Results Processing A conclusion

2. The problem “MARBLE RACING” How does the height of a ramp (or its slope) alter the time for a marble to roll down it ?

3. Aim could be: Either “To see how the slope affects the time for a marble to roll down a slope.” Or “To see if doubling and trebling the height of a slope halves and thirds the time for a marble to roll down a slope.” ACHIEVE

4. The Plan What gets changed? The Independent variable the height from about 20 to 100cm What gets measured? The dependent variable The time for the marble to roll down in seconds. I’ll use a stopwatch. ACHIEVE

5. Controlled Variables What other factors might affect the results? Distance down ramp – fixed at 100cm Same marble each time. Released with a finger on top not a push. NEED THESE FOR MERIT

6. The Method – what to do ? Clearly tells someone what to do. How to set it up. With enough detail for someone else to follow without clarification. How to measure the heights and what heights to use. How to measure the times. How many trials (at least THREE for each height). What to control and how. What results to take / record. A GOOD METHOD IS NEEDED FOR MERIT

7. Results and Processing Table neatly ruled, with headings like: Height (cm) Times (s) Processing: Calculate averages of trials. Draw a graph of height (horizontal) against time (vertical) GOOD TRY = ACHIEVE WELL DONE WITH 3 TRIALS = MERIT!

8. Interpretation of data: what can you tell from your results Trend(s) What happens to the time when you increased the height? “The time got shorter as the height of the slope increased.” “The line curved down it was not straight” “The time got shorter but did not halve when the height doubled.”

9. Conclusion Relate the trend to the original hypothesis or aim “The time got shorter as the height increased.” ACHIEVE “The time got shorter as the height of the slope increased. This is shown by the curve of my graph” MERIT “The time got shorter as the height of the slope increased. This is shown by the curve of my graph. It did not halve when the height doubled as shown when you compare my results for 20cm & 40cm or 40cm & 80cm. EXCELLENCE!

10. Discussion All my results were consistent for each of my trials at different heights which shows that they were reliable. The results gave a smooth curve. The experiment could perhaps be improved by using a wider range of heights. An electronic timing system with a gate to release the marble would also help. The results gave a smooth curve showing the time did not halve or third as the height doubled and trebled. This can be seen in my results for 30 / 60cm and 30 / 90cm. The results gave a smooth curve showing the time did not halve or third as the height doubled and trebled. The ball got faster but the speed didn’t double as the height did. EXCELLENCE!!