In this activity you will be asked to find the rate of change (speed) of the car over time. You will set up a meter stick on your table and calculate the distance over time for the car.
Objective:
At the end of this lesson you should be able to determine the speed of the car because of its distance over time. In addition, you should be able to write an equation and graph it properly.
Materials needed:
math notebook/paper
pencil
wind up car
4 meter sticks
stop-watch
Task 1: Setting up for the Activity
1) Working with your table, make sure you each have your notebook/paper and a pencil on your desks.
2) Make sure you have a stopwatch. If you don't have a stopwatch, find one.
3) On each of your papers create a t-table making sure to label your x/y axes
4) Before moving on check your entire table to make sure their papers are labeled properly, then show your teacher. After your teacher has approved of your labeling they will give you your car
Task 2: Collecting Data
1) Before measuring the speed of the car, make sure you take your first piece of data. How many seconds has it been? How far has the car traveled? Label this on your x/y axes.
2) Have one person get their Slo Pro App out and be ready to start and stop the time. Have another person take two meter sticks and lineup them up one after another. Then take the other two meter sticks an place them approximately an inch and a half away from each other to make a track for the car.
3) Have one person get the car wound up and ready to let go. When both the person with the Slo Pro App and the car are ready. Let the car go and record the time it takes to go 20cm, 40cm, 60 cm, 80cm, and 100cm. Yes, that is six pieces of data!
4) After each distance measured above, make sure to record your data for the time it took to go each distance with its respective time.
5) Find the slope of the line using the table of values in front of you. Remember you are trying to find the change in y divided by the change in x or rather the rise over run. Show your teacher before moving forward.
Task 3: Graphing Your Data
1) Now that your t-table has been filled out, create an x/y axes and label the points. Where should the time in seconds go? On the x or y axis? What about the amount of water?
2) Plot your points on the graph
3) Draw a line connecting your dots as best as you can making sure to add the arrowheads at the end.
Task 4: Debriefing the Activity
1) What is the slope of the line?
2) What is the y-interept of the line?
3) Write the equation of the line in slope intercept form (y=mx+b)
4) Why does the y-intercept start where it does?
5) How would the y-intercept be different if your car started at 10cm already?
6) How much time would it take to go 150cm?
7) What variable would change the y-intercept of the graph?