The Model Car Ramp

Ruby and Isaac are testing a model car in technology class. They make a ramp from strong card and two books. Ruby puts a low tray at the end. The car must roll into it and stop.

Isaac lets the red car go. It races down the ramp, hits the tray and bounces out. Ruby catches it on the table. “That was fast,” she says. “But it did not stay where we wanted.”

Ruby adds another book under the ramp. She thinks a higher start might help. This time the car goes even faster. It jumps over the tray. Their teacher asks them what changed between the two tests.

“We made it higher,” says Isaac. “That made the car faster.” Ruby takes away the extra book, then removes one more. The ramp is lower now. She puts the same car back at the top.

The car rolls into the tray, but it still bumps the hard end. Isaac finds a piece of soft foam. Ruby checks that it fits inside the tray. They place it where the car will stop.

They test the ramp again. The car rolls down and meets the foam. This time it stays in the tray. Ruby lets out a cheer. Isaac marks the ramp's position with a small piece of tape.

Their teacher asks them to repeat the test. They use the same car and the same starting point. Three times, the car stays in the tray. Ruby writes the results beside a drawing of their ramp.

At the end of class, Isaac picks up the red car. “The fastest test was not the best test,” he says. Ruby nods. They needed enough speed to reach the tray, and a softer place to stop.