Adjust the hills on a toy-car roller coaster and watch what happens as the car careens toward an egg (that can be broken) at the end of the track. The heights of three hills can be manipulated, along with the mass of the car and the friction of the track. A graph of various variables of motion can be viewed as the car travels, including position, speed, acceleration, potential energy, kinetic energy, and total energy.
Launch GizmoAdjust the hills on a toy-car roller coaster and watch what happens as the car careens toward an egg (that can be broken) at the end of the track. The heights of three hills can be manipulated, along with the mass of the car and the friction of the track. A graph of various variables of motion can be viewed as the car travels, including position, speed, acceleration, potential energy, kinetic energy, and total energy.
5 Minute Preview
Use for 5 minutes a day.
STEM activity using Roller Coaster Physics Gizmo
Best For:
AP Physics, Middle School Physical Science, Physics
Observe the impact of changing friction on the distance and speed of the car.
Best For:
Middle School Physical Science
Ejercicio Práctico del Alumno en español.
Best For:
AP Physics, Middle School Physical Science, Physics
Vocabulario en español.
Best For:
AP Physics, Middle School Physical Science, Physics
During whole class instruction, I provide the students with a seat work sheet. They use that document to... (more) make predictions, collect and analyze data, and write conclusions. The Gizmo's Student Exploration Guide (pages 1-3 only) is the basis of my lesson presentation.
Best For:
Middle School Physical Science, Physics
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