Student Exploration: Air Track

Student Exploration: Air Track Vocabulary: air track, approach velocity, conservation of energy, conservation of momentum, elasticity, kinetic energy, momentum, separation velocity, velocity Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) Imagine going to a bowling alley with a bowling ball and a ping pong ball. 1. Why is a bowling ball better for knocking down pins than a ping pong ball? Because the mass of the bowling ball is greater than a ping pong ball resulting in the bowling ball being better at knocking down pins. ______________ _________________________________________________________________________ 2. Which do you think would knock down more pins, a bowling ball moving 10 meters per second or a bowling ball moving 10 centimeters per second? The 10 m/s bowling ball ________________________ 3. What two factors seem to most affect the amount of damage that occurs in a collision? _________________________________________________________________________ Gizmo Warm-up An air track is a device that helps scientists study motion. Air comes out of holes in the track, allowing the gliders to move with minimal friction. 1. On the Air Track Gizmo, click Play ( ) to view a collision between the two gliders. What do you see? __________________________________________________________ 2. Click Reset ( ). The velocity (v) of an object describes its speed and direction. The velocity of each glider is indicated next to the v1 and v2 sliders. Click Play, and then click Pause ( ) just before the collision. A. What is the velocity of Glider 1? _________________________________________ B. In which direction does Glider 1 move? ___________________________________ C. What is the velocity of Glider 2? _________________________________________ D. In which direction does Glider 2 move?