Devon Heath

Students experiment with their own shoes and determine how the coefficient of friction compares in a sneaker vs. other types. They also test to see how the mass of the shoes and the surface it is on influence the coefficient of friction. Masses of various sizes and force meters are required.

Students always seem to confuse the fact that a bounced object experiences a larger change in momentum than an object that sticks. This lab asks students to bounce 3 different balls to see how the mass influences the amount of impulse experienced by each ball.

This activity asks students to drop a ball initially to determine the height from which it was dropped. Using that height, they then throw the ball downwards and find the initial velocity that it was thrown with. Then, they throw the ball upwards and solve for the initial velocity it was thrown with. All three trials can be down off a balcony or in a stairwell, and the students find it fun to drop a ball from high up. It tests their knowledge of the acceleration of gravity, vertical kinematics,

Students will use their knowledge of the coefficient of friction (see other assignment called Mu of the Shoe) to build a better shoe for walking on ice. They are asked to test how surface area influences the stickiness a shoe has, and what materials work best on slick surfaces. Materials like sandpaper, cloth, cardboard, etc. would be useful to allow the students to test different designs.

This series of 'Make Your Own' assignments asks students to create their own scenarios and model the details on a piece of paper. Velocity, Acceleration, Momentum, Impulse, Energy, Projectile Motion, and Electricity are included. In each case, certain things must be included and each student creates their own sheet around a situation they've made up. It allows students to apply their learning to a higher level of understanding as they try to graph, do calculations, or describe what is happening.

This online activity uses a computer simulation to test how the force, the time it is applied, the mass of an object, and the velocity it travels all relate to one another. The takeaway of the activity is to show the students that impulse and the change in momentum are equal. It also illustrates how measurable values (like mass and velocity) can allow us to determine the force or time in a collision.

This worksheet asks students to algebraically solve more and more complex physics equations. They don't need to know anything about the variables in the equations, but the exercise shows what they do or don't know about algebra. It helps elucidate where they will have future errors in the math of the course. The equations F = ma, P = E/t, and y=0.5at2 + Vit are used to test their ability to solve for an 'x' variable in different positions in an equation.

This is a handout that asks students to relate a position vs. time graph, velocity vs. time graph, a verbal description, and a motion map to one another. All four representations must be in agreement. The scenarios shown are all constant velocity situations, so knowledge of acceleration isn't necessary.