About

This simulation uses Easy Java Simulations (Ejs) to model the problem of a rocket car on an incline plane.  When the car reaches the bottom of the incline it can be set to bounce (elastic collision) with the stop attached to the bottom of the incline.  The total mass of the car is 2.0 kg which consists of the car body (1 kg), two front wheels (0.4 kg) and two rear wheels (0.6 kg).  The front and rear wheels rotate and are uniform disks.  In the simulation you can set the incline angle (in radians), the bounce, the thrust of the car's rocket (in Newtons), and you can drag the car to its initial position.

 

Questions

1. Calculate the change in potential energy of the car when it reaches the bottom of the incline.  Your answer should be given in terms of the mass of the car body m_B, the mass of the front and rear wheels, m_F and m_R, the incline angle θ, and the distance the car moves down the incline, L.

2. Calculate the velocity of the car at the bottom of the incline when subject to an arbitrary thrust, T, from its rocket.  Don't forget that the wheels of the car rotate.  Your answer should be given in terms of the variables described in Question 1 and the thrust, T.  Once you have a general form for the velocity, check your answer against the simulation.

3. Given the velocity you found in Question 2, determine the acceleration of the car subject to an arbitrary thrust, T.  Again your answer should be given in terms of the variables described in Question 1.  Once you have a general form for the acceleration, check your answer against the simulation.  Also find the thrust that yields zero acceleration of the rocket.

This simulation uses Easy Java Simulations (Ejs) to model the problem of a rocket car on an incline plane.  When the car reaches the bottom of the incline it can be set to bounce (elastic collision) with the stop attached to the bottom of the incline.  The total mass of the car is 2.0 kg which consists of the car body (1 kg), two front wheels (0.4 kg) and two rear wheels (0.6 kg).  The front and rear wheels rotate and are uniform disks.  In the simulation you can set the incline angle (in radians), the bounce, the thrust of the car's rocket (in Newtons), and you can drag the car to its initial position.

 

Questions

1. Calculate the change in potential energy of the car when it reaches the bottom of the incline.  Your answer should be given in terms of the mass of the car body m_B, the mass of the front and rear wheels, m_F and m_R, the incline angle θ, and the distance the car moves down the incline, L.

2. Calculate the velocity of the car at the bottom of the incline when subject to an arbitrary thrust, T, from its rocket.  Don't forget that the wheels of the car rotate.  Your answer should be given in terms of the variables described in Question 1 and the thrust, T.  Once you have a general form for the velocity, check your answer against the simulation.

3. Given the velocity you found in Question 2, determine the acceleration of the car subject to an arbitrary thrust, T.  Again your answer should be given in terms of the variables described in Question 1.  Once you have a general form for the acceleration, check your answer against the simulation.  Also find the thrust that yields zero acceleration of the rocket.

This simulation uses Easy Java Simulations (Ejs) to model the problem of a rocket car on an incline plane.  When the car reaches the bottom of the incline it can be set to bounce (elastic collision) with the stop attached to the bottom of the incline.  The total mass of the car is 2.0 kg which consists of the car body (1 kg), two front wheels (0.4 kg) and two rear wheels (0.6 kg).  The front and rear wheels rotate and are uniform disks.  In the simulation you can set the incline angle (in radians), the bounce, the thrust of the car's rocket (in Newtons), and you can drag the car to its initial position.

 

Questions

1. Calculate the acceleration of the car, subject to an arbitrary thrust, T, by using Newton's second law for linear motion (forces) and rotational motion (torques).  Your answer should be given in terms of the mass of the car body m_B, the mass of the front and rear wheels, m_F and m_R, the incline angle θ, and the thrust, T.

2. In terms of your expression for the acceleration found in Question 1, determine the time it takes the car to reach the bottom of the incline subject to an arbitrary thrust, T.  Also determine the period of oscillation for the car.  Once you have a general form for the period, check your answer against the simulation.

3. Find the thrust that yields zero acceleration of the rocket.

4. Calculate the velocity of the car at the bottom of the incline when subject to an arbitrary thrust, T, from its rocket.  Your answer should be given in terms of the variables described in Question 1 and the thrust, T and the distance the car moves down the incline, L.  Once you have a general form for the velocity, check your answer against the simulation.

Author and Program Information

This simulation Ejs Open Source Multi Objects rolling down on an Inclined Plane Java Applet was customized by lookang based on an earlier version Ejs Open Source Multi Objects rolling down on an Inclined Plane Java Applet by Wolfgang Christian, Francisco Esquembre, and Mario Belloni using the Easy Java Simulations (Ejs) modeling tool. I would like to thank Fu-Kwun Hwang for his constant professional community support in NTNU Java Forum http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/ntnujava/index.php.
You can modify this simulation if you have Ejs installed by right-clicking within a plot and selecting "Open Ejs Model" from the pop-up menu item.

Information about Ejs Open Source Multi Objects rolling down on an Inclined Plane Java Applet is available at:

http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/ntnujava/index.php?topic=1840.0
http://sgeducation.blogspot.com/2010/06/ejs-open-source-multi-objects-rolling.html

Information about Ejs is available at:

http://www.um.es/fem/Ejs/

and also from the OSP Collection on the ComPADRE Web site:

http://www.compadre.org/osp .

More  simulations using Ejs can be found at the OSP Collection on ComPADRE by using the search option.

 

Translations

Code	Language		Translator	Run

Credits

Wolfgang Christian, Francisco Esquembre, and Mario Belloni , remixed by lookang (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.); Fremont Teng; Francisco Esquembre; Loo Kang Wee; Félix Clemente García'

Sample Learning Goals

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For Teachers

Multiple Objects Rolling Down Inclined Plane JavaScript Simulation Applet HTML5

Instructions

Combo Box for Objects

 

 

 

Combo Box for Options

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjustable Height of Slider

 

Drag-able Object and Bumper

Toggling Full Screen

Play/Pause, Step and Reset Buttons

Research

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Video

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 Version:

1. https://www.compadre.org/osp/items/detail.cfm?ID=8242 
2. http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/ntnujava/index.php?topic=1840.0
3. https://weelookang.blogspot.com/2010/06/ejs-open-source-multi-objects-rolling.html

Other Resources

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