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Motion in Physics

Students will use tools to understand physics, specifically motion graphs.

Grade: High School

Chelsea Powers

The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

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Notes for teachers

List of Materials

This activity does require the use of Vernier Motion Detectors.

Purchase Here

It also has the optional extension with buggies.

Purchase Here

Per Group:

Vernier Motion Detectors (see notes for link to purchase)
Expo
Dry erase surface
Large flat surface (we used a large whiteboard)
Computer
Worksheets
Buggies

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Standards

Physics – P3: Changing the movement of an object requires a net force to be acting on it.

Motion & Stability – Forces & Interactions Essential standards are standards that will be assessed on the state exam and are intended for ALL students to have learned by the end of 3 credits of high school science courses.

Educational Technology Standards

9-12.4.b. Students select and use digital tools to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.

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Objectives:

Students will use motion detector to collect data on the motion of an object. They will create and analyze graphs of speed and motion to further their understanding of motion.

Students will be able to explain motion in a visual way.

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Agenda

Discussion on predictions of graphs
Collect data
Evaluate data
Give final data
Go over data and other graphs to compare
Closure (teacher choice)

Next day

Buggy Lab
Collect data
Graph position/time data
Graph velocity/time data (might be new and can be used as formative).

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Intro/Driving Question/Opening

How do you show constant speed? What is constant speed?

What does the motion of an object look like on a graph if moving away and towards an object?

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

Ask students to predict the velocity (speed) graphs of the given position graphs. I have them draw these on the whiteboard/table with expo.
Explain how to set up the motion detector.

Plug in all hardware
Open vernier software (Graphical Analysis).
Place a large flat surface (we use a whiteboard) in front of their body and walk towards, away, and standing still to recreate the matching position time graph).
Draw the corresponding velocity graph created by the sensor. (I have them add a best fit line otherwise it is very sensitive and has spikes).

Once students return, have them show another group their graphs.
Get a final paper and draw what they think the velocity graph should look like if cleaned up. This is done after they discuss what makes sense to them.

5. Students are then given some data on constant motion and they see how that compares to theirs (constant motion should lead to a horizontal line as the velocity, but in different parts of the scale).

The next day:

Students look at graphs again of constant motion and they graph the slope.
With the slope, the students see a horizontal line again, but with set data.
Students are then given buggies, which move with constant motion.

Turn buggies on, start timer, let them drive one meter, then stop timer.
Repeat for 2 meters total, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Graph the data.

The new data, they can see position increase over time, but if you find the slope between each point, you see constant velocity.

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Assessment

Formative: Look at graphs and see where students might be lacking in basic math skills or ability to understand the material.

I often go over graphing before, but this can be done as a beginning activity to see their abilities.
Eventually I have a quiz on slope and on graphs, but this is after a few weeks and more instruction.

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Differentiation

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Students can do less distance with buggies if little space available.

Students should work in groups to talk about what is happening. None of this should be done alone.

Have students evaluate what the graph would look like if the object was speeding up/slowing down (pull back car)

Students can create position time graphs for others to recreate with sensors.