PhET Simulation Activity - Pushing Things Around CVHS ...

PhET Simulation Activity - Pushing Things Around

Activity Instructions

CVHS Physics 2016

In this activity, you will investigate the relationship between force and motion using the ¡°Forces and Motion¡± PhET

simulation¡±

Part A: Pushing Papers

i. Once you have opened the simulation, click the ¡°FORCE GRAPHS¡± TAB at the

top. In the on-screen control panel on the right, select the setup shown in the figure

to the right. You need to change the settings to:

¡ñ Ice (no friction)

¡ñ Object position -8.0 meters

¡ñ Object: File Cabinet (50 kg)

ii. Open the ¡°Acceleration,¡± and ¡°Velocity¡± graphs by clicking the green plus signs

below the ¡°Force Applied¡± Graph.

iii. Apply the sequence of forces in Table 1 to the 50 kg filing cabinet. To do this¡­

1. Adjust the FApplied, found directly below the brick wall on the left, to 50 N.

2. Press the ¡°play¡± button below your graphs. Let the pusher push for 4 seconds before pressing ¡°pause.¡±

3. Make observations about the motion of the filing cabinet that results from the 50 N push, and record your

observations in Table 1. [Note: For the time being you can just make brief observations in your table. But, once

you have completed the 20 second sequence of pushes, ¡°playback¡± your sequence and add more detailed

observations about the motion of the filing cabinet during each segment.]

4. After you have paused the pusher at four seconds and recorded your initial observations, adjust the applied force

to the next force in the sequence, -100 N, and then press the play button again. Let the pusher push for the time

indicated in the table, 5 seconds, and then press pause when the elapsed time reaches 9 seconds. Again,

observe what happens as the pusher pushes and record your observations in Table 1

5. Continue to repeat steps 1 through 4 with the applied forces given in Table 1 and the corresponding lengths of

time those forces are applied.

6. Once you have completed the entire 20-second sequence, switch to ¡°playback¡± mode and elaborate on the initial

observations you made about the motion of the filing cabinet in Table 1 by re-watching the pushes.

iv. Sketch the Force Applied vs. Time, Acceleration vs. Time and Velocity vs. Time graphs that the simulation collected

for the filing cabinet sequence of pushes in the space provided in Figure 1. [Note: You may need to use the magnifying

glasses on the right of your graphs in order to zoom in on the graphs and re-draw them accurately.]

Part B: Moving a Small Crate

Repeat the exact same steps as Part A, except change the object to the 100 kg small crate.

Part C: Relating an Object¡¯s Acceleration to Applied Force and Mass

See worksheet handed out by your instructions for questions.

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