Ramp collision — mass & distance

How to use this simulation

1. Tap a hooked mass in the Receiver car load tray to drop it in the receiver car. Use Remove top mass or Clear masses to change the load. The source car always stays at 60 g and starts from the same release point.
2. Press Release car. The source car always reaches the bottom of the ramp at 200 cm/s, no matter how much mass is loaded on the receiver — only the collision and slide change with the load.
3. Watch the two cars couple and slide together, leaving a chalk mark where they stop.
4. Read the distance off the meter stick: 0 cm sits at the base of the ramp, and the back edge of the source car (the reference point at the moment of collision) is what the final reading measures.
5. Each run is saved as a row in the Trials table and a point on the Distance vs receiver mass graph, so you can compare loads.
6. Turn on Show the predicted curve to compare your data with the model, or Add measurement error so repeated trials don't land on the exact same number. Use Half speed to slow the collision down and watch it closely.
7. Press Reset cars to send the source car back to the release point, Clear trials to wipe the table and graph, or Copy data to copy your results for a spreadsheet.