Crash – Force can make the difference.
MA. JELEN C. ROBLEDO
Science 8 Teacher
Short Overview
Question 1:
What is a crash?
• When something runs into something else.
• A collision.
• A car crash.
Question 2:
What can happen in a crash?
• Things can bend and twist or snap/break/shatter.
• A car crash can cause lots of damage.
• When a truck runs into the back of a car or bike, the car
or bike can be forces forward.
Question 3:
If people are involved in a crash, what can
happen and why?
Answers:
If a car hits someone, it can do a lot of damage because it is
heavier and harder than them.
• People in a car crash are thrown forward because the car stops
but the people keep going unless
seatbelts save them.
Lesson Purpose and Intention
Lesson Purpose and Intention
The lesson is about how larger forces can cause a
larger effect on other objects. The lesson is designed
to lead students to a deeper understanding of Sir Isaac
Newton’s Second Law involving a quantitative
relationship between Force, Mass and Acceleration
Lesson Language Practice
Lesson Language Practice
Investigating Identical
Collision Mass
Conducted Acceleration
Wondered
Lesson Activity
Investigating Force and Mass
One of the students who did the experiment with toy cars in Lesson 2
decided to see what forces can do to objects. She conducted an experiment
to see what happens when the toy cars collide with wooden blocks – She
wondered, Will the block all get moved the same distance?
Investigating Force and Mass
She again used three identical toy cars. She placed three identical wooden
blocks on the tracks 30 cm from where the cars would be running on flat
ground. She made sure the cars were all the same distance from the
wooden blocks. She again used ramps set at different angles to give each
car a different acceleration. Here are some pictures of her experiment.
Investigating Force and Mass
Before experimental collision:
Investigating Force and Mass
After experimental collision:
Investigating Force and Mass
The student’s teacher thought the experiment will be valid because she
used identical cars and so any friction or air resistance would be the same
for each car.
Here are her experimental results.
Question 1:
What does the scientific
term ‘mass’ mean?
What does the scientific term ‘mass’
mean?
Mass is a measure of the amount of matter
in an object. / SI units are kilograms (kg),
but it can be
measured in grams (g) as well.
Question 2:
If toy cars are the same,
what scientific properties do
they all have that are the
same?
If toy cars are the same, what scientific
properties do they all have that are the
same?
• Same weight.
• Same size.
• Same types of wheels.
• Same color. [not important to the experiment]
• Same labels. [not important to the
experiment]
Question 3:
What did the student do to
ensure that each car could
apply a different force to act on
the
blocks?
What did the student do to ensure that each car
could apply a different force to act on the
blocks?
She set the three ramps at different angles. She set them to
increase angle by 50 from the lowest ramp. This ensured there
was an increase in force as the cars were set at a higher point
amount.
Question 4:
What was the average
distance travelled for Car
Number 2?
What was the average distance travelled
for Car Number 2?
11 cm.
Question 5:
What things did the student
need to measure accurately?
What things did the student need to measure
accurately?
• The angles of the ramps.
• The distance the blocks were set
before collision.
• The distance the blocks moved after
collision.
Question 6:
What do the experimental results
show?
What do the experimental results show?
• A larger force causes a larger change in
motion. or
• The greater the acceleration, the greater
force applied to the blocks. The
experiment indicates that the force applied
by the cars is proportional to the
acceleration of the cars.
Lesson Conclusion
Question 1:
Which questions were easy
to answer – the ones in 4B
or the ones in 4C? Why?
Question 2:
What strategies do you use to
answer the harder questions?
