BIG IDEA: How are changes in the relationship between the height of an incline plane, the angle
of the slope formed, and the speed at which a car rolls down the incline plane represented on line
graphs?
1. How does changing the slope (angle) a car is traveling down hill or the steepness of an incline
plane change a graph for the speed of the car? The smaller the angle, the steeper slope, and the
faster the car traveled. Smaller angles are made by increasing the height of the incline plane. The
line on the graph got closer the y axis.
2. What happens to the line as the angle of an incline plane is increased? The line moves away
from the y axis
decreased? The line moves towards the y axis
3. Does increasing the height of the inclined plane increase or decrease the angle? decrease
4. Does decreasing the angle of the incline plane increase or decrease the height of the incline
plane? increase
5. Will the resulting graph of speed be straight lines or curved? Constant speed gives straight
lines
6. Will the lines get closer to the y axis or x axis as the slope (angle) is increased? Closer to the x
7. What is the relationship between the height of an incline plane and the angle of the incline
plane? As the height increases the angle decreases
8. What is the relationship between the slope of an incline plane and the speed of a car that rolled
down the incline plane? As the slope increases the speed increases
Predict- If you ran the same experiment again, but increased the weight of the car, what do you
think would happen to the speed of the car at the 3 different heights of the incline plane?
9. As the weight increases, with the incline plane at the highest position and the angle smallest
angle, I predict the speed of the car will -------?
10. As the weight increases, with the incline plane at the lowest position and the greatest angle, I
predict the speed of the car will -------?