Forces & Motion
Vocabulary
 Frictionthe resisting opposing force. |  VelocityA speed in a direction |  AccelerationA change of speed or direction (faster, slower, change of direction) |
|---|---|---|
 Terminal Velocityfinal speed - the speed at which the force is balanced out with friction |  MassThe amount of "stuff" (atoms / molecules) in an object. |  ForcePush or a pull |
 Inertiathe resistance to a push or a pull due to mass. |
Day 1 : Velocity & Motion Lab
Vocabulary
The beginning of Physics! We started the basics today with a look at speed. To test this we had marbles running down ramps. The ramp was set at different hights and the marble was timed as it traveled. That time was used to calculate the speed of the marble.
Day 2: Velocity cont. and Acceleration
Starter Questions:
Two Students are studying how the number of batteries affects the speed of the car.
1. What is the formula for Velocity?
2. What are the two ways you can increase speed?
Humans are fasinated with the speed of things. We love fast cars and airplanes, and get great excitment out of watching races. In Phyiscs we use another name for speed which is Velocity. Velocity is distance over time. Its the speed that an object travels in a particular direction. Velocity is constant and doesn't speed up or slow down. The cars we used last time are a great example of this. Now Acceleration is the rate that velocity changes over time. The graphs for acceleration should not be straight but curved and the slope of the line tells us if the acceleration is positive or negative. When acceleration is positive the object is speeding up. When acceration is negative the object is slowing down.
Here is the Inertia video to complete page 15.
Day 5: Walkaway
Starter questions
1. What is acceleration?
2. Find the total Force
5N
10N
Day 2 Cont : Acceleration
Starter Questions:
A new Day, a New Lab. In this new lab are question was, How does the height of ramp, affect the speed of the moving marble? To test this we set up metal ramps on text books to increase the height. A slip of paper was placed next to the ramp and marks were made in time with the metronome. As the paper was moved to keep up with the marble, the marks bacme further apart. Here is the data.
Day 3: Forces and Inertia
Balanced and Unbalanced Forces.pptx
Starter Questions:
1. Explain Acceleration. Give an Example.
2. Explain point of reference. Why is it important?
But what makes the object move? What causes that motion? An object can only move if a Force is placed on it. This force is a push or pull that causes the object to accelerate. Another important factor in determining force is the mass of the object. It will take more force to move a heavier object than one with less mass. Force is measured in Newtons, or Kg x m per seconds squared. Now all of this is connected to a principle called Inertia. Inertia is the resistance an object has to change. The Law states that an object at rest will not move until acted on by an outside force. It also states that an object in motion wont stop until acted on by an outside force. Everything has mass there fore everything has inertia and the greater the mass the greater the inertia.
Sir Issac Newton formulated 3 laws of motion. The First Law is Inertia, and the second Law is Force. The third law states that " every action has an equal and opposite reaction.'' Think of a time you had to keep you brother or sister out of your room. Each of you are pushing as hard as you can on the door. If your forces remain equal the door stays shut. If the person on the out side pushes harder the door will open, despite how hard you are pushing.
Day 4 : Forces And Inertia Labs
Starter Questions
1. What is Force?
2. What is Inertia?
3. When a Force is applied to an object, and the mass decreases, what happens to the acceleration?
4. Give 2 examples of both Force and Inertia from your life
Today we set up our own labs to test and measure the amount of force required to over come inertia. We used a new piece of equiptment, a force meter. This unique device uses a spring to measure the amount force being exerted. It helped us to measure the force required to over come the inertia of each object.
Day 4 Quiz
