Paper Barrier Name Teacher Purpose Design a paper barrier that will safely dissipate the energy of a head-on collision. Requirements 1. The elevation and angle of the track will be adjusted to produce an impacting impulse of: On-Level 3.2 Ns Honors 3.6 Ns 2. The depth of the barrier cannot exceed 5 cm. 3. The approved material list: notebook paper copy paper masking tape or scotch tape 4. The barrier will be placed against the track s backstop. Paper supports may be used to properly position the barrier. The barrier will NOT be attached to the collision car. 5. The front of the collision car will impact the barrier. The dimensions of the area impacting the barrier are 4.45 cm X 8.89 cm (the end of 2 X 4 piece of lumber). NOTE - a 2 x 4 is NOT 2 inches by 4 inches. 6. The collision car will be released from rest from the top of track. Scoring 1. Each group will build two bumpers for evaluation. 2. Data collected for evaluation is: collision duration maximum force average force 3. The second bumper will be evaluated if time permits.
Scoring Rubric This is a TENTATIVE scoring rubric. Scoring will be calculated using the Barrier Scoring Spreadsheet on GravityKills.net
Score Card Teacher Time FIRST Barrier Score Notes Maximum Average IF TIME PERMITS A SECOND BARRIER WILL BE TESTED AND THE BETTER OF THE TWO WILL BE SCORED. Time SECOND Barrier Score Notes Maximum Average
Pre-Build Questions Name Teacher 1. What is the impacting impulse of the collision cart? 2. How far from the backstop is the barrier allowed to protrude? 3. What materials are allowed in the construction of the barrier? 4. What are the dimensions of the impacting area on the collision cart? 5. How many barriers may be evaluated to determine your grade? h 6. Measure the angle, q, of the track? q 7. Measure how far, d, the collision cart travels along the track? 8. Calculate how high, h, the collision cart is elevated? 9. Using Conservation of Energy, calculate the speed of the collision cart in meters per second just before it strikes the barrier. 10. Calculate the speed of the collision cart in miles per hour just before it strikes the barrier. (1 m/s = 2.24 mph) 11. Using the Impulse-Momentum Theorem, calculate the mass of the collision cart. 12. Rank the momentums of the following objects from least to greatest. YOUR collision cart Baseball Bullet mass = mass = 145 grams mass = 3 grams velocity = velocity = 100 mph velocity = 400 m/s
TEKS/Objectives Introduction TEKS (1) Physics. In Physics, students conduct laboratory and field investigations, use scientific methods during investigations, and make informed decisions using critical thinking and scientific problem solving. Students study a variety of topics that include: laws of motion; changes within physical systems and conservation of energy and momentum; forces; thermodynamics; characteristics and behavior of waves; and atomic, nuclear, and quantum physics. Students who successfully complete Physics will acquire factual knowledge within a conceptual framework, practice experimental design and interpretation, work collaboratively with colleagues, and develop critical thinking skills. Knowledge and Skills TEKS (1) Scientific processes. The student conducts investigations, for at least 40% of instructional time, using safe, environmentally appropriate, and ethical practices. These investigations must involve actively obtaining and analyzing data with physical equipment, but may also involve experimentation in a simulated environment as well as field observations that extend beyond the classroom. The student is expected to: (A) demonstrate safe practices during laboratory and field investigations; and (B) demonstrate an understanding of the use and conservation of resources and the proper disposal or recycling of materials. (2) Scientific processes. The student uses a systematic approach to answer scientific laboratory and field investigative questions. The student is expected to: (E) design and implement investigative procedures, including making observations, asking well-defined questions, formulating testable hypotheses, identifying variables, selecting appropriate equipment and technology, and evaluating numerical answers for reasonableness; (K) communicate valid conclusions supported by the data through various methods such as lab reports, labeled drawings, graphic organizers, journals, summaries, oral reports, and technology-based reports; and (3) Scientific processes. The student uses critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and problem solving to make informed decisions within and outside the classroom. The student is expected to (A) in all fields of science, analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, including examining all sides of scientific evidence of those scientific explanations, so as to encourage critical thinking by the student; (E) research and describe the connections between physics and future careers; and (F) express and interpret relationships symbolically in accordance with accepted theories to make predictions and solve problems mathematically, including problems requiring proportional reasoning and graphical vector addition. (6) Science concepts. The student knows that changes occur within a physical system and applies the laws of conservation of energy and momentum. The student is expected to: (B) investigate examples of kinetic and potential energy and their transformations; (C) calculate the mechanical energy of, power generated within, impulse applied to, and momentum of a physical system; (G) analyze and explain everyday examples that illustrate the laws of thermodynamics, including the law of conservation of energy and the law of entropy.