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Cylinder down a ramp sim

Let go from rest, the cylinder speeds up steadily (a = 2/3 g sin 4° = 0.465 m/s² for a rolling solid cylinder, g = 10 m/s²), so d = ½at².

Cylinder down a ramp · covers the GCSE, IGCSE, O-Level topic

Live, not a video. Anyone can unlock 2 figures free; a free account unlocks up to 5 and keeps them in your dashboard.

What the sim shows

Let go from rest, the cylinder speeds up steadily (a = 2/3 g sin 4° = 0.465 m/s² for a rolling solid cylinder, g = 10 m/s²), so d = ½at². Time it over several distances: a graph of d against t is a curve, but a graph of d against t² is a straight line through the origin, and its gradient is a/2. Set the finish line, roll, and add your result to the graph.

  • The finish marker: sets d
  • Below: results, and d against t²

Use it in your lessons

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