Description
- Students are introduced to the collection and analysis of data at the scene of an automobile accident in terms of the fundamental laws of motion.
- High school laboratory investigation with enough materials for 8 lab groups.
- Carolina Kits 3D®—Labs that use phenomena to support NGSS and 3-dimensional instruction.
In this series of investigations, students analyze systems of objects and see how mathematical models are used to analyze and predict the motion of moving objects that are pushed or pulled by a constant force or that collide. They will design experiments to test the models and will examine how such experiments contribute to the development of equations that allow scientists and engineers to analyze, predict, and explain the motion of objects and systems. Through a series of experiments, the students explore the Driving Question, “How are equations that model the forces and motion of objects and systems developed and applied?”
Time Requirement
Total, 215 minutes. Teacher prep, 45 minutes. Prelab and activities, 170 minutes.
Digital Resources
Includes 1-year access to digital resources that support 3-dimensional instruction for NGSS. Digital resources may include a teacher’s manual and student guide, pre-lab activities and setup videos, phenomenon videos, simulations, and post-lab analysis and assessments.
Crosscutting Concepts
Systems and System Models
Science and Engineering Practices
Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking
Learning Objectives
- Collect and analyze data from a series of experiments involving objects moving at constant velocities, with constant acceleration, or in a collision.
- Conduct a graphical analysis of the data collected from experiments involving moving objects to develop equations that serve as a mathematical model for similar systems of objects.
- Interpret the data and resulting equations describing the motion of and the forces on objects in a system in order to develop general principles that describe force and motion.
Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills
Students should have the ability to use and analyze linear equations and simple equations involving exponents; to construct and analyze graphs of data collected by analyzing objects in motion; to conduct dimensional analysis for quantities involving distance, time, velocity, and acceleration; and to convert between appropriate scales of measurement.