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.

Students shoot different elastic bands to determine how the k constant influences the amount of elastic energy available. Using calculations, they determine how elastic energy is converted into kinetic energy when an rubber band is shot.

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,

This lab has students utilize their understanding of vertical launches, horizontal launches, and angled launches to summarize what they've learned about projectiles. They use all this information to predict where a projectile will land.

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.

Students will cook potatoes inthree ways; microwaved, fried in a pan, and boiled. Using the power rating of the different appliances used in the cooking, and the time each one took to cook the potatoes, students will determine what method is most efficient (and the most tasty).

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.

Students will bounce a ball and record the bounce to make measurements that can be used to determine how gravitational energy is transformed into other types of energy (kinetic, elastic, and dissipated).

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 lab has students find situations in their school that display elastic, gravitational (potential), kinetic, and thermal energy. They assign sizes to some variables, choose the appropriate equation for the situation, and solve for a missing variable.

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.

This lab asks the student to test three independent variables of their choosing to see how they affect the period of a pendulum. No prior knowledge of pendulums is required. Instead, the activity focuses on how we define independent and dependent variables, where they belong on a graph, how we try and eliminate outliers, and the importance of multiple trials when collecting data. The lab is self-directed so that students with no prior knowledge might choose an independent variable that has no ef