Name: Date: 03/19/21
Student Exploration: Sled Wars
Vocabulary: acceleration, energy, friction, kinetic energy, momentum, potential energy, speed
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the
Gizmo.)
1. A firefighter is trying to break through a door. Is he more
likely to break through if he runs at the door very slowly or if
he runs at the door very fast? Explain your answer.
He’s more likely to break through by running fast because
with a greater acceleration there will be more force to break
through the door
2. Two firefighters are trying to break through a door. One firefighter is heavy, and the other
is light. If they run at the same speed, which one is more likely to break through? Explain.
The firefighter that is heavier would break through the door because they have a greater
mass
Gizmo Warm-up
The ability to crash through doors and cause other changes
depends on an object’s energy. With the Sled Wars
Gizmo,
you will explore the factors that affect the energy of a sled.
The Gizmo shows a Yeti named Burt riding his sled down a
steep hill. Burt plays a game where he tries to wreck as many
snowmen as he can.
1. Use the slider to set the Snowmen to 5. Check that the height of the sled is 25.0 m. Click
Play ( ). How many snowmen does the sled destroy? 2 snowmen
2. Click Reset ( ). Set the Red sled mass to 200 kg. Click Play. How many snowmen does
the sled destroy this time? 3 snowmen
2019
, 3. Click Reset. Drag the sled to the top of the hill so the starting height is 50.0 m. Click Play.
A. How many snowmen are destroyed now? All 5 snowmen
B. Why do you think this is so? With the height being 50m it creates more velocity,
causing the sled to come down with more force
2019
Student Exploration: Sled Wars
Vocabulary: acceleration, energy, friction, kinetic energy, momentum, potential energy, speed
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the
Gizmo.)
1. A firefighter is trying to break through a door. Is he more
likely to break through if he runs at the door very slowly or if
he runs at the door very fast? Explain your answer.
He’s more likely to break through by running fast because
with a greater acceleration there will be more force to break
through the door
2. Two firefighters are trying to break through a door. One firefighter is heavy, and the other
is light. If they run at the same speed, which one is more likely to break through? Explain.
The firefighter that is heavier would break through the door because they have a greater
mass
Gizmo Warm-up
The ability to crash through doors and cause other changes
depends on an object’s energy. With the Sled Wars
Gizmo,
you will explore the factors that affect the energy of a sled.
The Gizmo shows a Yeti named Burt riding his sled down a
steep hill. Burt plays a game where he tries to wreck as many
snowmen as he can.
1. Use the slider to set the Snowmen to 5. Check that the height of the sled is 25.0 m. Click
Play ( ). How many snowmen does the sled destroy? 2 snowmen
2. Click Reset ( ). Set the Red sled mass to 200 kg. Click Play. How many snowmen does
the sled destroy this time? 3 snowmen
2019
, 3. Click Reset. Drag the sled to the top of the hill so the starting height is 50.0 m. Click Play.
A. How many snowmen are destroyed now? All 5 snowmen
B. Why do you think this is so? With the height being 50m it creates more velocity,
causing the sled to come down with more force
2019
