"EXPLORING THE INTERNET: ROLLER COASTER PHYSICS"
ONE TWO THREE ISAAC NEWTON AND ME
CECsci.125
May 1994
These lesson plans are the result of the work of the
teachers who have attended the Columbia Education
Center's Summer Workshop. CEC is a consortium of teacher
from 14 western states dedicated to improving the
quality of education in the rural, western, United
States, and particularly the quality of math and science
Education. CEC uses Big Sky Telegraph as the hub of their
telecommunications network that allows the
participating teachers to stay in contact with their
trainers and peers that they have met at the Workshops.
AUTHOR: Jan Mader, Great Falls, MT
GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT: grades 9-12
The material is easily incorporated into:
physical science (grade 9) and
physics (grades 11 and 12) curricula.
OVERVIEW:
This lesson is designed to incorporate the learning
cycle format with space science materials. The time
frame for the entire learning cycle is approximately 10
days. This assumes that portions of the concept
development will be assigned as homework outside the
class period.
The learning cycle develops the concepts of Newton's
Laws and applies these concepts to travel in space.
There are three separate exploratory labs, one for each
of the three laws. Included are examples of questions
that could be used to develop the concepts of Newton's
Laws. I also recommend the use of the Mechanical
Universe Tapes: Inertia, Newton's Laws in concept
development. Navigating in Space can be used in the
application phase of the cycle. The culminating
activity is based on NASA's video SPACE BASICS and
incorporates Newton's Laws in the analysis of flight.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS:
- Hovercraft or skateboards **
- Hotwheels cars and track
- spring scales
- meter sticks
- 3 1000ml beakers
- airsupplies or vacuum cleaner
- rope and bungy cords
- NASA video "SPACE BASICS"
- Mechanical Universe Tapes Navigating in Space,
Inertia, and Newton's Laws
** Hovercraft are easy to construct.
- Cut a four foot
diameter circle from 1" thick plywood.
- Tap a 1/4" hole
in the center for a bolt.
- You will need two washers,
one metal and one that is a plastic lid from a butter
dish.
- Drill a 1 1/2" hole 8" from the center of the
circle.
- In this hole silicone seal a female pvc
plumbing joint.
- Cover the bottom of the circle with 6
mil plastic, staple and duct tape the plastic to hold
in place.
- Cut between 15 or 20 holes the size of a
half dollar in the plastic at random positions.
- Place
the bolt, plastic washer and metal washer on the
underside of the hovercraft in that order.
- Place the
nut on the upper side of the plywood.
- Connect an air
supply or vacuum cleaner to the hovercraft's pvc
opening.
- If you do not have a hovercraft, you may use
a skateboard for that portion of the labs.