Describing Motion

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Describing Motion

The questions below will help you to reflect upon your own understanding of how we measure and describe motion.

All questions are adapted from Keeley (2010). Uncovering Student Ideas in Physical Science: 45 New Force and Motion Assessment Probes. NSTA Press

Josey and her little brother Jack are walking side by side, eating ice cream cones. Josey stops to talk to a friend. While she is talking, Jack’s ice cream cone starts to drip at a steady rate as Jack walks away. When Josey finishes talking to her friend and realizes that Jack is no longer next to her, she looks down and notices the drops of ice cream on the ground from Jack’s ice cream cone as shown below. Josey needs help figuring out how Jack was moving (walking) while she was talking. If Josey follows the drips, what can they tell her about Jack’s motion? Which answer that best shows how Jack moved (walked) while Josey stopped to talk to her friend.

The drips show that Jack started walking really slowly and then went faster and faster.

The drips show Jack started out walking really fast and then slowed down and went slower and slower.

The drips show that Jack started out walking slowly, then walked faster and continued to walk at that same speed.

The drips show that Jack started out walking fast, slowed down, and then continued to walk at that same, steady speed.

Clear selection

Maya’s family bought a new car. Her mother asks Maya for help to make sure the speedometer is working. To check the speedometer, Maya’s mother drives the car down a long, straight highway. On the side of the highway there is a marker for every mile. As Maya’s mother drives at a constant speed, Maya writes down the time when they pass each of the numbered markers. Maya records the information in the data table shown below. Mark all of the ways that Maya could use the information in the data table to find the speed of the car.

10/2:00

2:04/14

14/2:04

1/1

4/10

11/1

1/11

4/4

2/12

None of these ways would work!

Max is thinking about different units that can be used to express the average speed of a car on a highway. Check off all the units that can be used to express the average speed of a car on a highway.

kilometers per hour

inches per second

feet per minute

meters per hour

inches per hour

miles per minute

miles per hour

feet per hour

meters per minute

centimeters per hour

kilometers per second

centimeters per second

Frances and Greg decide to have a footrace. Frances gets off to a good start and gets ahead of Greg. Greg catches up to Frances right at the finish line so that they cross the finish line at the same time. Immediately after crossing the finish line, both are still running at their same pace and Greg passes Frances. Their friends argue about who ran faster right at the finish line. Who's answer is most accurate?

Donica: “I think Frances was faster at the finish line.”

Hannah: “I think Greg was going the fastest at the finish line.”

Evan: “I think they were running at the same speed the instant they crossed the finish line.”

Clear selection

Kenisha and her friends are looking at a NASCAR article on the sports page of their local newspaper. Kenisha sees the word velocity mentioned several times. She wonders what the word velocity means. She asks her friends and their responses are below. Which person has the best idea about what the word velocity means.

Silas: “I think it is the term used when something moves really fast.”

Jade: “I think it is the scientific word for speed. Speed and velocity mean the same thing.”

Ayla: “I think the words velocity and acceleration mean the same thing.”

Omar: “I think it describes the speed and the direction in which something moves."

LaVonn: “I think it is the rate at which the speed of something is changing.”

Terrell: “I think it is used to describe the average speed when something moves at different speeds.”

Clear selection

Kimi is riding on a roller coaster with her friends. One of her friends exclaims, “Wow, that is a huge acceleration!” After the ride was over, Kimi wonders what the word acceleration means. Select all the motions below that are an example of acceleration:

When something is moving really fast.

When something is moving really slowly.

When you turn a corner going really fast.

When you are going in one direction, turn around, and go in the other direction.

You are going slowly, but then speed up.

You are going fast, but then slow down.

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