Start from rest
Release the same cart without an extra push when comparing heights.
Ramp Racer
Set a release height and advance a cart down a ramp to compare its motion.
Grades 3–5 · Physics
Your goal
Release from 1.0 m and move the cart to the bottom. Notice its final speed.
Reduced motion is on. The controls still update the scene.
Ready at the top. The cart is 0.50 m above the bottom and travels at 0.00 m/s. 0.00 s have passed since release. From this height, bottom speed is 3.13 m/s.
m
%
Journey scrubs through distance along the ramp, so equal journey steps take different times. Gravity is 9.8 m/s². The cart is treated as a sliding point mass. Wheel rotation, friction and air resistance are ignored.
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Learn with Ramp Racer
Ramp Racer connects release height with the speed of a cart moving down a ramp. Choose a starting height, release the cart, and advance it along the track while comparing its height and speed. Elementary students can predict which release will produce a faster finish and explain how gravitational potential energy becomes kinetic energy. The ideal model leaves out friction and rotating wheels, helping learners focus on height and motion before exploring more complicated real-world ramps.
What to look for
Raise the starting point
A greater height gives the cart more gravitational energy in this model.
Compare fairly
Keep the other settings the same and compare the cart at the end of its trip.
For teachers and curious learners
Discover how release height affects speed on a ramp. Ask students to predict what will happen, change one setting, and explain what they observe. Learn gives a starting point. Practice and Challenge offer new goals with the same scene.
The cart is modeled as a sliding point mass with no friction or wheel rotation. Its energy and speed are idealized; real carts lose some energy to their surroundings.
Continue with Rolling Motion Lab .