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> searching forunderstand and will convince
> the words that my high school class will
incorrect.them (and me) why one is correct and the other
zero is actually a variantThe idea that the vertical acceleration goes to
of the common misconception that students have.They think that the
acceleration goes to zero when a ball is thrown upand reaches it's peak
where the velocity is zero. Students may wish tohang onto that explanation
as the misconception is fairly resistant to change.
VEEEEERY resistant to change!!!!!!
But, long before the idea of a free body diagram is
approached, the
students should have worked MANY velocity vs. time
graph type
problems.
Most HS students can reach the point of correctly
graphing the
vertical velocity of an object that is thrown
upwards into the air.
Once they have drawn this graph - they STILL will
need time to beat
their head against the idea that:
the slope is constant
and that
the slope is the acceleration
so
the acceleration is NOT zero as the graph
crosses the x-axis.
Just because we can recite the correct words, does
not guarantee that
we know what we are talking about.
Velocity graphs will sink in better than words for
some of the more
visual thinkers in your classes.
This posting is the position of the writer, not that
of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.