View Bozeman science video Systems and System Models

Define the system under study—specify its boundaries and make explicit a model of that system. A system has components and it has boundaries.

Look at objects that can be moved in your house.

• Define the system that affects the movement of the object. For example, if you roll a ball across the floor, these components of the system will change how it moves:

  • 1. 1. The balls material (rubber ball versus marble)

       2. The shape of the ball (football versus soccer ball)

       3. the type of floor that it is rolling on (carpet, hardwood, cement)

       4. The slope of the floor (is it level or at an angle?)

       5. Is a force needed for the object to move or does it move by itself?

• What are the boundaries of the system of the moving object? (What is in the system and what is not in the system?)

• Draw your moving object. Label the parts of the system. Then describe how the different parts of the system interact.

View this short video to learn more about Sir Issac Newton

• Neil deGrasse Tyson - My Man Sir Issac Newton

Learn more about the concepts that you will be working with in the simulation you will be doing today.

• View this Video - A World without Friction

Engage in the PhET Simulation Forces and Motion: Basics and do 3 inquiries to learn about the relationship between applied force and motion.

• Student worksheet to guide your engagement in the simulation - How do Objects move when there is no friction?

Video introduction - Factors that affect friction

• Use the PhET Simulation to explore the effects of friction on a system. Link to PhET Simulation Forces and Motion: Basics

• Student worksheet - How do objects move when there is friction?

These videos can help support student understanding of Newton’s three laws.

• Real life Examples of Newton’s Three Laws.

• Newton’s 3 Laws with a bicycle

• Newton’s Second Law of Motion on the international Space Station.

• Newton’s Third Law of Motion on the International Space Station

• Optional Newton’s Laws - Crash Course (a bit more detail for advanced students)

Tie the two inquiries from this week to SEPUP reading. Read pages E-29 to E-36 in student textbook - Forces and Motion

Use Newton’s laws to explain why it is easier to turn a truck when it is empty than when it is carrying a heavy load.

Materials

• Tape or other materials that can be used to attach pieces of your raceway together.

• Paper tubes, paper plates, cardboard cartons

• Marbles, small balls, cars, or other items that can toll through your raceway

The Challenge

• Design a structure using your materials that is either free standing or attached to a wall. This structure will be your raceway for marbles, a car, or another object of your choice.

More Ideas

• Try building the longest raceway that you can.

• Try building a raceway with curves and jumps

• Build two or more raceways and hold a competition

• Decorate your raceway.

• Here are some other creative ideas - https://safeshare.tv/x/KJJfpuV3ne0#