Name: Date:
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.
Why is a bowling ball better for knocking down pins than a ping pong ball? A bowling ball ismuch
bigger than a ping pong ball.
1. Which do you think would knock down more pins, a bowling ball moving 10 meters persecond
or a bowling ball moving 10 centimeters per second? The 10 m/s bowling ball
2. What two factors seem to most affect the amount of damage that occurs in a collision?The
mass and speed of the objects how much damage is done 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, allowingthe 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? The gliders hit each other and then bounce back the wat they came.
2. Click Reset ( ). The velocity (v) of an object describes its speed and direction. The
of
velocity 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? 5.0 m/s
B. In which direction does Glider 1 move? From left to right
C. What is the velocity of Glider 2? -5.0 m/s
D. In which direction does Glider 2 move? From right to left
, Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
Momentum • Click Reset.
Question: How does an object’s momentum change when it collides with another object?
1. Explore: The Gizmo allows you to adjust the mass and initial velocity of each glider. Set upeach of
the following scenarios, and describe what happens when the gliders collide.
A. The gliders have the same mass but different velocities. The gliders appear to
exchange velocities
B. The gliders have the same mass and one glider is stationary. The collision causesthe
moving glider to stop as the other glider moves away.
C. The gliders have the same velocity (but in opposite directions) and different masses.After
the collision, the less-massive glider moves away much more quickly than the other glider.
2. Calculate: An object’s momentum (p) describes how hard it is to stop. Momentum is equal to the
product of mass and velocity: p = mv. If mass is measured in kilograms and velocity inmeters per
second, the unit of momentum is kilograms-meters per second, or kg•m/s.
A. What is the momentum if the mass is 1.5 kg and the velocity is 4 m/s? 6 kg m/sTurn
on Show numerical data and use the Gizmo to check your answer.
B. How could you use the Gizmo to increase a glider’s momentum? Use the sliders toincrease
the mass and velocity of the glider
3. Gather data: Click Reset. Set m1 to 3.0 kg and v1 to 2.0 m/s. Set m2 to 2.0 kg and v2 to
-4.0 m/s. Fill in the left table, run the collision, and then fill in the right table.
Before collision After collision
Glider Glider 1 Glider 2 Glider Glider 1 Glider 2
Mass 3.0 kg 2.0 kg Mass 3.0 kg 2.0 kg
Velocity 2.0 m/s -4.0 m/s Velocity -2.8 m/s 3.2 m/s
Momentum 6.0 kg m/s -8.0 kg m/s Momentum -8.4 kg m/s 6.4 kg m/s
(Activity A continued on next page)
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.
Why is a bowling ball better for knocking down pins than a ping pong ball? A bowling ball ismuch
bigger than a ping pong ball.
1. Which do you think would knock down more pins, a bowling ball moving 10 meters persecond
or a bowling ball moving 10 centimeters per second? The 10 m/s bowling ball
2. What two factors seem to most affect the amount of damage that occurs in a collision?The
mass and speed of the objects how much damage is done 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, allowingthe 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? The gliders hit each other and then bounce back the wat they came.
2. Click Reset ( ). The velocity (v) of an object describes its speed and direction. The
of
velocity 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? 5.0 m/s
B. In which direction does Glider 1 move? From left to right
C. What is the velocity of Glider 2? -5.0 m/s
D. In which direction does Glider 2 move? From right to left
, Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
Momentum • Click Reset.
Question: How does an object’s momentum change when it collides with another object?
1. Explore: The Gizmo allows you to adjust the mass and initial velocity of each glider. Set upeach of
the following scenarios, and describe what happens when the gliders collide.
A. The gliders have the same mass but different velocities. The gliders appear to
exchange velocities
B. The gliders have the same mass and one glider is stationary. The collision causesthe
moving glider to stop as the other glider moves away.
C. The gliders have the same velocity (but in opposite directions) and different masses.After
the collision, the less-massive glider moves away much more quickly than the other glider.
2. Calculate: An object’s momentum (p) describes how hard it is to stop. Momentum is equal to the
product of mass and velocity: p = mv. If mass is measured in kilograms and velocity inmeters per
second, the unit of momentum is kilograms-meters per second, or kg•m/s.
A. What is the momentum if the mass is 1.5 kg and the velocity is 4 m/s? 6 kg m/sTurn
on Show numerical data and use the Gizmo to check your answer.
B. How could you use the Gizmo to increase a glider’s momentum? Use the sliders toincrease
the mass and velocity of the glider
3. Gather data: Click Reset. Set m1 to 3.0 kg and v1 to 2.0 m/s. Set m2 to 2.0 kg and v2 to
-4.0 m/s. Fill in the left table, run the collision, and then fill in the right table.
Before collision After collision
Glider Glider 1 Glider 2 Glider Glider 1 Glider 2
Mass 3.0 kg 2.0 kg Mass 3.0 kg 2.0 kg
Velocity 2.0 m/s -4.0 m/s Velocity -2.8 m/s 3.2 m/s
Momentum 6.0 kg m/s -8.0 kg m/s Momentum -8.4 kg m/s 6.4 kg m/s
(Activity A continued on next page)
