FORCE AND FAN CAT
SSSM3125
, Student Exploration: Force and Fan Carts
Vocabulary: force, friction, position, speed
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. If you are pushing a shopping cart and you start pushing harder, what happens?
Shopping cart will increase in speed
2. What happens to a shopping cart if you get it rolling and then release it?
It will coast and slow down due to friction
Gizmo Warm-up
1. In the Gizmo, turn the fan Off. Click Play ( ). Did the cart move? _________________
2. Click Reset ( ). Press the Low fan speed button to
turn on the fan. Click Play. What happened?
The cart moved forward
3. A force is something that causes change in motion.
What provided the force that made the cart speed up?
The speed of the fan increasing
4. The speedometer shows the cart’s speed, or how fast it
moves. A speed of 30 cm per second means the cart moves
30 cm every second. What was the final speed of the cart?
122.7 cm/s
5. Friction is a force that works against motion as surfaces rub each other. Click Reset. Select
the No Friction surface. Click Play. What was the final speed this time?
134.3 cm/s
2024
SSSM3125
, Student Exploration: Force and Fan Carts
Vocabulary: force, friction, position, speed
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. If you are pushing a shopping cart and you start pushing harder, what happens?
Shopping cart will increase in speed
2. What happens to a shopping cart if you get it rolling and then release it?
It will coast and slow down due to friction
Gizmo Warm-up
1. In the Gizmo, turn the fan Off. Click Play ( ). Did the cart move? _________________
2. Click Reset ( ). Press the Low fan speed button to
turn on the fan. Click Play. What happened?
The cart moved forward
3. A force is something that causes change in motion.
What provided the force that made the cart speed up?
The speed of the fan increasing
4. The speedometer shows the cart’s speed, or how fast it
moves. A speed of 30 cm per second means the cart moves
30 cm every second. What was the final speed of the cart?
122.7 cm/s
5. Friction is a force that works against motion as surfaces rub each other. Click Reset. Select
the No Friction surface. Click Play. What was the final speed this time?
134.3 cm/s
2024