Inclined Plane

This series of interactive excel sheets investigate models involving an inclined plane.

The first sheet helps students to investigate the conditions for movement of an object on a horizontal plane.

The second sheet illustrates a mass held in equilibrium by a string on a smooth inclined plane. Six questions exploring this model are included on the following sheet. Values can be shown or hidden and a new set of questions generated by the click of a button.

The fourth sheet shows a mass at rest on an inclined plane. By adjusting the variables the acceleration of the ensuing downward motion can be investigated. The next sheet looks at a similar model, this time however an external force parallel to the plane is applied to the mass. In the six questions on the next page the boundary values for equilibrium of the external force are to be calculated. Answers can then be revealed.

The final model again shows a mass in equilibrium on an inclined plane, however this time it is subject to a horizontal external force. Values can be adjusted which see the mass slide up the plane. In the six questions on the following page the boundary values for equilibrium of the external force are to be calculated. The answers can then be revealed.

Note
This program was designed by be viewed on a screen with a resolution of 1024 x 768. Users may have to adjust the resolution of their screen for the pages to display as was originally intended. The program uses macros which need to be enabled on users’ machine.