Linear Motion: Vernier Motion Detectors and Graph Matching
This graph matching lab is a great chance for students to actually feel the different types of motion shown in different types of graphs. What I use is a modified version of the lab in "Physics with Vernier". Vernier's version includes more position and velocity graphs to match, and comes with Logger Pro files where the line to be matched is on the graph. I prefer to let my students play around to create a matching graph - it's more engaging than having a line on a screen to follow.
Free Fall: Logger Pro and Video Analysis
Make a video of students tossing something straight up and letting it fall. Insert it into Logger Pro, and you can analyze the video! Track the object through it's trajectory, and Logger Pro creates a graph. Find the best fit function and model the motion. Brightly colored objects against a white background work best, though we used a dark blue medicine ball. Blurring within each frame can be an issue, and it is best for students to track the edge of the object, not the center. I found the original version of this lab on Tony Zable's PH211 course website
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Linear Motion Lab Practical
I'm working to create labs where the students do all of the problem solving. I got got this great idea from the DACTM/MDSTA fall conference. Students had to hit the coal car of a toy train with a stuffed turtle by dropping it at a certain time after the train started moving. The catch is that the students can't actually see the train as it moves! It creates great conversations around what measurements are necessary, what calculations need to be done, and whether human reaction time matters. They can't practice - they have one shot to try it. The most important thing the teacher can do is NOT BE HELPFUL.
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