GIZMOS- STUDENT EXPLORATION : SLED WAR
Name: Date:
Student Exploration: Sled Wars
Vocabulary: acceleration, energy, friction, kinetic energy, gravitational 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.
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.
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. Click Reset ( ). Set the Red sled mass to 200 kg. Click Play. How many snowmen does the sled
destroy this time?
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?
B. Why do you think this is so?
This study source was downloaded by 100000842568006 from CourseHero.com on 04-05-2022 03:48:53 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/55072602/SledWarsmodifiedSEpdf/
, Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A:
Click Reset. Check that One sled is selected.
Acceleration and Set the Red sled mass to 100 kg.
speed Set the Number of snowmen to 0.
Check that the height of the sled is 50.0 m.
Introduction: Speed is a measure of how fast an object is moving. It is defined as distance moved
per unit of time. In this Gizmo, the units of speed are meters per second, or m/s.
Question: What factors affect the speed of the sled?
1. Observe: With the sled at 50.0 m, click Play. Observe the Red sled speed speedometer.
A. What happens to the sled’s speed as it moves down the slope?
B. Acceleration is a change in speed or direction over time. In what two ways does the sled
accelerate as it descends?
C. Click Reset. This time, focus on the speed of the sled after it reaches the bottom of the
hill. Click Play. What do you notice?
D. Does the sled accelerate after reaching the bottom? Explain.
2. Explore: Click Reset. Use the Gizmo to measure the sled’s final speed when it starts at a height of
10 meters and when it starts at a height of 40 meters. Record these speeds below.
Speed when starting from 10 m: Speed when starting from 40 m:
How does increasing the starting height affect the final speed?
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity B:
Click Reset, and check that One sled is
Sled Speed & Ek selected.
Select Show Energy.
1. Choose a mass for your sled. What mass did you select? _______
2. Choose a number snowmen to have at the bottom. What number did you select? ______
This study source was downloaded by 100000842568006 from CourseHero.com on 04-05-2022 03:48:53 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/55072602/SledWarsmodifiedSEpdf/
Name: Date:
Student Exploration: Sled Wars
Vocabulary: acceleration, energy, friction, kinetic energy, gravitational 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.
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.
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. Click Reset ( ). Set the Red sled mass to 200 kg. Click Play. How many snowmen does the sled
destroy this time?
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?
B. Why do you think this is so?
This study source was downloaded by 100000842568006 from CourseHero.com on 04-05-2022 03:48:53 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/55072602/SledWarsmodifiedSEpdf/
, Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A:
Click Reset. Check that One sled is selected.
Acceleration and Set the Red sled mass to 100 kg.
speed Set the Number of snowmen to 0.
Check that the height of the sled is 50.0 m.
Introduction: Speed is a measure of how fast an object is moving. It is defined as distance moved
per unit of time. In this Gizmo, the units of speed are meters per second, or m/s.
Question: What factors affect the speed of the sled?
1. Observe: With the sled at 50.0 m, click Play. Observe the Red sled speed speedometer.
A. What happens to the sled’s speed as it moves down the slope?
B. Acceleration is a change in speed or direction over time. In what two ways does the sled
accelerate as it descends?
C. Click Reset. This time, focus on the speed of the sled after it reaches the bottom of the
hill. Click Play. What do you notice?
D. Does the sled accelerate after reaching the bottom? Explain.
2. Explore: Click Reset. Use the Gizmo to measure the sled’s final speed when it starts at a height of
10 meters and when it starts at a height of 40 meters. Record these speeds below.
Speed when starting from 10 m: Speed when starting from 40 m:
How does increasing the starting height affect the final speed?
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity B:
Click Reset, and check that One sled is
Sled Speed & Ek selected.
Select Show Energy.
1. Choose a mass for your sled. What mass did you select? _______
2. Choose a number snowmen to have at the bottom. What number did you select? ______
This study source was downloaded by 100000842568006 from CourseHero.com on 04-05-2022 03:48:53 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/55072602/SledWarsmodifiedSEpdf/
