Overview
In this lesson students will use a NetLogo model to analyze the 1-Dimensional collision of 2 cars that is completely inelastic, i.e., Kinetic Energy is not conserved.
Students will determine the following:
1. How does impulse compare to the change in momentum for an individual car in a collision of 2 cars.
2. How does the momentum of an individual car compare before and after the collision of 2 cars.
3. How does the kinetic energy of an individual car compare before and after the collision of 2 cars.
4. How does the analysis change if both cars are combined into a 2-car system. Both cars will be used to produce a single result.
Students will determine in which case(s) {1-car system, 2-car system, both, or none} the momentum and kinetic energy are considered to be conserved, i.e., the same before and after the collision.
The NGSS standard: HS-PS2-1 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.
The NGSS standard: HS-PS2-2 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system.
Underlying Pages
-
0. Student Directions -
Preview as Student
-
1. Get Familiar with the Model. -
Preview as Student
-
2. Impulse, Momentum, and Kinetic Energy in a Collision between 2 cars. -
Preview as Student
-
3. Reading Momentum and Kinetic Energy Graphs. -
Preview as Student
-
4. Create 2 of your own scenarios to generalize results. -
Preview as Student
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards
- Physical Science
- NGSS Crosscutting Concept
- NGSS Practice
Computational Thinking in STEM
- Modeling and Simulation Practices
Credits
Created by Neil Schmidgall