Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: Newton's Second Law Lab



Find a flat region of your parking lot. 'Borrow' two cars, one very small
and light (Geo Metro or the like) and the other much larger (a big SUV for
example). Measure off a known distance -- maybe 20 meters or so. Start
with the small car and one person pushing. Have them start at rest (car in
neutral) and push as hard as possible until the car moves the measured
distance. Use a = 2D/t^2 to get the acceleration. Now repeat, adding
pushers. Then repeat with the larger vehicle.

I suspect 2 pushers won't achieve twice the acceleration, but surely a

Check out PRISMS at
http://www.prisms.uni.edu/
they have this activity in their curricular binder for mechanics;
I have seen it done by both David Thompson and Tom Vining (AZ HS teachers)
and it was pretty popular. PRISMS has worksheets for these activities,
although I'd be inclined to have the students plan their own out given the
time was available

Dan M

Dan MacIsaac, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Northern AZ Univ
danmac@nau.edu http://purcell.phy.nau.edu PHYS-L list owner