Prior to the lesson, students should be prepared with knowledge of two-dimensional force interactions on projectiles.
We begin the lesson with an interesting video clip of the famous Indiana Jones rolling boulder scene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db5rRtOExbA
In the video, Indiana Jones is chased down a narrow path by a large rolling boulder, until he is forced into a steep slope and tumbles to the feet of the expectant native armed trappers; however, the boulder seems to have disappeared completely.
In this lab, I want students to analyze projectile motion of objects that have initial horizontal motion before falling off a cliff. This will allow them to answer the question of "is this trap safe to set by the natives, or are the natives in more peril of falling boulders than Indiana Jones himself?"
Students will use set ramps to create the initial speed Vo atop their tables, predicting the mathematical value for it using their knowledge of potential and kinetic energy conservation. With the initial speed and height of the table measured, students will predict the length of horizontal distance the ball will travel off the table, and get a limited number of attempts to position a target at the bottom of the table (either a cup or a drawn target on graphite paper) where they think the ball should land.
Following data collection, predictions, and model testing, students will be shown a Projectile Motion animation from CSUN that can further enforce how objects follow a parabolic path due to gravity, regardless of their initial conditions.
http://faraday.physics.utoronto.ca/GeneralInterest/Harrison/Flash/ClassMechanics/Projectile/Projectile.html
I really like how you turned the Indiana Jones scene (something culturally relevant) and turned it into something that they could test physically and then with a simulation. :) That makes it engaging to students from a variety of learning modalities (simulation= visual, building the ramps= kinesthetic).
ReplyDeleteTo improve on the lesson, I think the lesson does need some kind of assessment function or some kind of work that students turn in to show their thinking.
I like the fact that you hook students with the Indiana Jones scene to start off the lesson. It is engaging and provides a great transition to your experiment. Also you decide to use the CSUN animation in the end which is a great way to reinforce concepts.
ReplyDelete-Ana