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ModuleFourLessonTwoActivityOneGizmo PDF

The document summarizes student activities using a force and fan cart simulation Gizmo. In Activity A, students explore how increasing force from a fan affects the cart's motion, finding that greater fan force results in higher cart velocity. Activity B examines why objects slow down without applied force, determining friction causes slowing. Activity C looks at patterns in an object's motion with no force, finding position and velocity remain constant over time without applied force.

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Sri Devi Nagarjuna
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4K views

ModuleFourLessonTwoActivityOneGizmo PDF

The document summarizes student activities using a force and fan cart simulation Gizmo. In Activity A, students explore how increasing force from a fan affects the cart's motion, finding that greater fan force results in higher cart velocity. Activity B examines why objects slow down without applied force, determining friction causes slowing. Activity C looks at patterns in an object's motion with no force, finding position and velocity remain constant over time without applied force.

Uploaded by

Sri Devi Nagarjuna
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name: _____________________________ Date: ________________________

Student Exploration: Force and Fan Carts

Vocabulary: force, friction, position, speed

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

1. If you are pushing a shopping cart and you start pushing harder, what happens?

It goes farther

2. What happens to a shopping cart if you get it rolling and then release it?

It eventually stops

Gizmo Warm-up

1. In the Gizmo™, turn the fan Off. Click Play ( ). Did


the cart move? no

2. Click Reset ( ). Press the Low fan speed button to


turn on the fan. Click Play. What happened?

The cart crossed the finish line

3. A force is something that causes change in motion.


What provided the force that made the cart speed up?

the fan

4. The speedometer shows the cart’s speed, or how fast it


moves. A speed of 30 cm per second means the cart
moves 30 cm every second. What was the final speed of the cart?

1227cm per s

5. Friction is a force that works against motion as surfaces rub each other. Click Reset. Select
the No Friction surface. Click Play. What was the final speed this time?

__134.3cm/s_
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A:  Click Reset.
 Change the Surface to Wood.
Force and motion  Be sure there are no objects on the cart.
 The Fan speed should be set to Low.

Question: How does force affect motion?

1. Run Gizmo: Press Play. What was the final speed of the cart?
________90.6cm/s_______

2. Predict: Would the cart’s final speed be higher or lower if the fan were set to

Medium instead of Low? higher

3. Experiment: Click Reset. Change Fan speed to Medium. Click Play.

What was the cart’s final speed? 119.3cm/s

4. Draw conclusion: Did the cart speed up more quickly with the fan on Low or Medium?

___medium____

5. Generalize: On Medium the fan provides more force than on Low. Make two rules by
filling in the blanks below. (Put the same word in both blanks.)

Force causes the Velocity__ of the cart to change.

If more force is used, the ___velocity____ of the cart changes more quickly.

6. Predict: Select the Data tab. Choose Bar graph or Line graph. This graph shows the
speed of the cart over time. How would this graph be different if the fan were on High?
Why?

All of the quantities on the y axis would be greater

Test: Check your prediction with the Gizmo. What do you observe? I was right

7. Extend: Design an experiment to test the effect of force on a loaded cart. You can
choose any surface and any object to load onto the cart. On the back of this sheet or an
additional sheet, report your question, prediction, procedure, observations, and conclusion.
Activity B: Get the Gizmo ready:
Running out of
 Click Reset.
steam?

Question: Why do objects slow down when there is nothing pushing them?

1. Observe: Use the Gizmo to explore the question above. Try different objects and surfaces.
Each time, turn the fan Off while the cart is moving. (You may find it helpful to pause the
Gizmo with the Pause ( ) button, turn the fan off, and then click Play to restart.)

2. Form hypothesis: What causes an object to slow down after no longer being pushed?

______friction______________

3. Predict: Set Fan speed to High. Based on your hypothesis, circle all surfaces that will cause
a moving cart to slow down after the fan is turned off. (You may circle more than one.)

No Friction Metal Cement Wood

4. Test: Run the trials using the Gizmo. Which surface(s) caused the cart to slow down?

No Friction Metal Cement Wood

5. Draw conclusion: What causes objects to slow down when they are no longer pushed?

friction

6. Think about it: Imagine the track in the Gizmo went on forever. If there were no friction, how
long would it take the cart to stop after you turned off the fan? Explain.

The cart would never stop because it would keep going at a constant speed
according to Newton’s First law.

7. Analyze: Which surface in the Gizmo has the most friction? Explain how you can tell.

Wood because it took the longest to reach the finish line and had the slowest final
speed
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity C:  Click Reset.
Patterns in  Place only the soda and book on the cart.
motion  Set the Fan speed to High.
 Select No Friction.

Question: Are there any patterns in the motion of objects?

1. Run Gizmo: Click Play. After about 3 seconds, turn the fan Off. (We recommend that you
click Pause, turn the fan off, and then click Play to restart the Gizmo.)

2. Observe: Select the Data tab. Select Position. The position of the cart is where it is located
(how far from the start line). What pattern do you see in the position data after the fan is off?

It stayed the same/ consistent

3. Connect: How is the final speed of the cart related to the pattern in the position data?

The final speed stayed consistants like the postion data indiates

4. Analyze: Why does that pattern happen? (Hint: Think about what “cm per second” means.)

The speed stays consistent so the car goes the same cm every second

5. Observe: Select Speed. What pattern do you see in the speed data, after the fan is off?

It stays the same

6. Connect: How does the bar graph (or line graph) show the pattern you found?

It looks like the line goes from an increase to a plateau

7. Generalize: Fill in the blank below to state a rule based on what you saw.

If there is no force, the velocity does not change at all.

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