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About

car_inclined_plane_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 mB, the mass of the front and rear wheels, mF and mR, 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.

Intro Exercises

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 mB, the mass of the front and rear wheels, mF and mR, 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.

advanced exercises

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 mB, the mass of the front and rear wheels, mF and mR, 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

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.
Y
ou 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

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Software Requirements

SoftwareRequirements


Android iOS Windows MacOS
with best with Chrome Chrome Chrome Chrome
support full-screen? Yes. Chrome/Opera No. Firefox/ Samsung Internet Not yet Yes Yes
cannot work on some mobile browser that don't understand JavaScript such as.....
cannot work on Internet Explorer 9 and below

 

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'

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Sample Learning Goals

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For Teachers

 

Instructions

Combo Box for Objects

 
Toggling this combo box chooses the object used in the Simulation
(Solid Ball)

 

(Car)

 

(Football)

 

(Disc)

Combo Box for Options

 
Toggling this combo box will give you their respective options and sliders.
Display will give you check boxes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the rest give input fields and sliders respectively.
 
There is also a special option which if Car is selected as the object
 
An additional feature to the Mass option as well.
 

Adjustable Height of Slider

This can be done by dragging the yellow ellipse in the simulation vertically.
 
 
(Default Position)

 

(Dragging Upwards)
 

Drag-able Object and Bumper

You can also drag the bottom bumper and object to adjust their positions.
 
(Default)
 
(Dragging the ball down)
 
(Dragging the bottom bumper up)

Toggling Full Screen

Double click anywhere on the panels to toggle full screen.
 

Play/Pause, Step and Reset Buttons

Plays/Pauses, steps and resets the simulation respectively.

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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