Floating in space (Guy Goyette)

Title: Weightlessness,

Principle(s) Investigated: Newton's Laws of Motion, Inertia, Gravitation law,

Standards: HS-PS3-1 Energy; HS-PS2-1- HS-PS2-4 Forces and Interaction;

Materials: Computer, Video Projector

Procedure: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1teWi-rqPAkZISlJNTZlKss_9V9oyZxFRytpsoWQnpu8/edit#slide=id.p3

Student prior knowledge: Kinematics: Projectile Trajectory, Newton's Laws, Law of Gravitation, Circular Motion and Centripetal Force,

Explanation: The objective is to help the students make a connection between the basic Physics laws they are learning (in High School) and satellite orbital motion around the Earth (or other objects). The students are taken on a path similar to Newton's to explain why Astronauts on board the space station are feeling weightless.

Questions & Answers: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fr4oGjkPlwqgENE0nlsznYag-2se1bhSIaCItRTnxlQ/edit#gid=0

Why are the Astronauts on the space station weightless ? Answer: Because they are in freefall.

How would someone feel inside a broken cable elevator in free fall ? Answer: Weightless.

Is there significant Gravity on the space station ? Answer: Yes, almost as much as on Earth.

What is Newton's Cannon and why did Newton use it for ? Answer: Newton's cannonball was a thought experiment Isaac Newton used to hypothesize that the force of gravity was universal, and it was the key force for planetary motion. It appeared in his book A Treatise of the System of the World

Applications to Everyday Life: There are some instances where we feel lighter, like in a fast accelerating elevator or on top of a roller coaster.

Photographs: Please see link to the presentation package for Photos.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

DO NOT upload the photos to this site!!! If you do, they will be removed.

DO upload photos into the album linked in the left sidebar. Once you have uploaded a photo, click on the same album link, find your photo, right click on it, and "copy image address" (copy image URL) and then use this link when inserting the photo. The photo must be visible when viewing your page. A link to the photo does not suffice.

Videos: Please see link to the presentation package for Videos.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Embed a Youtube Video that illustrates the procedure and results. This video should reside in your YouTube account and should be viewable by all. You may use a video in another persons YouTube channel if the video is better quality than what you can make.