Energy can exist in numerous forms such as internal (sensible, latent, chemical

and nuclear), kinetic, potential, electric and magnetic, and their sum constitutes
the total energy, E of a system. However, only the kinetic energy, KE and
potential energy, PE as well as the internal energy, U are taken and majorly
considered in this experiment. Because in the absence of electric, magnetic and
surface tension effects, the change in the total energy of a system during a
process is the sum of the changes in its internal, kinetic and potential energies
and can be expressed as below:
∆E = ∆U + ∆KE + ∆PE (2.2)

This experiment is proposed to find the effect of different slopes on the speed of
a cart. Therefore, there are some apparatus that will be used to conduct this
experiment. First of all, a cart of 1 kg of mass is selected to be the system.
Then a linear glass track, a stopwatch, a few blocks, and a measuring tape are
prepared before starting the experiment.

Consider a cart that is placed on a glass track that is raised at one end to
form an inclined plane whose angle of inclination is ϴ. The cart moves down the
inclined plane with a speed, v. Figure 2.1 shows a cart on a glass track that
represents the experiment that will be conducted later on.

Figure 2.1: An experiment to find the effect of different slopes on the speed
of a cart.

This experiment is carried out on the linear floor. To begin, two blocks of
approximately 10 cm in height for each are placed under the support at one end of
the glass track. The height, h of the two-block is then measured by using a
measuring tape and is recorded in the Data Table. The glass track is now raised to
form an inclined plane whose angle of inclination is denoted as ϴ as shown in the
figure 2.1.

The distance, d between the points of support of the glass track is measured and
recorded (figure 2.1). The cart is released from rest at the top of the inclined
and simultaneously a stopwatch is started. A person is needed to release the cart
and another to start the stopwatch. The stopwatch is then stopped once the cart
reaches at the bottom of the track or when it hits the ground (the linear floor).
The time is recorded in the Data Table.

The above steps are repeated for the different heights; that is by changing the
two blocks to four blocks, six blocks, eight blocks, and ten blocks. All the times
taken from each different height are again recorded in the Data Table.

In this experiment, the block is used to raise the glass track so that it will
form an inclined plane. As by adding up the blocks, there are changes in the
slopes. That is the amount of angle, ϴ will also change. The glass track is used
to make a smooth surface, in order to assume that there is zero or no frictional
force acting upon the system. It is only the speed that is needed to be taken into
account regardless of the frictional force that acting on the cart; that is this
experiment is frictional-force free.

For the calculation, the value of sin ϴ = h / d and it is recorded in the

calculations Table. By taking the values from the Data Table, a few graphs are
constructed. The Data Table and the calculations will be discussed in the next
part that is the discussion.

2.0 METHODOLOGY

The experiment that will be carried out is to prove the first law of
thermodynamics. In the experiment, the height of the plane above the horizontal
acts as the variable. By changing the height (adding up the numbers of block which
is used to control the height), there will result in change to the slope and as
well as there will be a different amount of angle of the plane above the
horizontal. Thus, this will affect the velocity or speed of the cart that is used
as a system in this experiment.

As it was discussed in the introduction part, the first law of

thermodynamics is simply an expression of the conservation of energy principle. It
asserts that energy cannot be created nor destroyed; it can only change from one
form to another but the total amount of energy remains constant.

Noting that energy can be transferred in the forms of heat, work and mass,
and that the net transfer of a quantity (increasing or decreasing in the total
energy of the system during a process) is equal to the difference between the
amounts transferred in and out during a process. The energy balance thus can be
expressed as:

Ein ─ Eout = (Qin ─ Qout) + (Win ─ Wout) + (Emass,in ─ Emass,out) =

∆Esystem (2.1)

In thermodynamics, it only deals with the change of the total energy, E of

system because thermodynamics provides no information about absolute value of the
total energy. Thus, the total energy of a system can be assigned a value of zero
(E=0) at some convenient reference point.