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In this presentation we will investigate the mathematics and physics of a free-falling object, not for the purpose of research to discover some profound physical phenomena, but rather to enhance students' ability to gather, organize, and analyze data using state of the art hand held technology. We will use the TI-83 plus (a sophisticated graphing calculator) and the TI-CBR (a Calculator Based sonic Ranging device) along with an adequate supply of 8 to 12 cup, no special brand, coffee filters. Since the coffee filters are not consumed, a single package is generally sufficient to supply the needs of more than one class. We will use the CBR and TI-83 Plus to collect data about the coffee filter drops. We will manually analyze some of the data and then use a previously written program to expedite the task. From the information obtained during the presentation we should be able to draw a reasonable conclusion about the terminal velocity that we challenge you to verify with your students. (Author)

This paper presents the Bouncing Ball Experiment which models quadratic and exponential functions, and the Hot Rod Races activity that explores velocity and acceleration. Activities include directions for the use of TI-82 and TI-83 calculators. (YDS)

Students use the relationship between the speed of a ball and the time that a player has to react to it to understand uniform motion problems. Includes activity sheets. (Author/NB)

Presents an activity in which students work in cooperative groups and roll balls down inclined planes, collect data with the help of an electronic motion detector, and represent data with a graphing calculator to explore concepts such as mass, gravity, velocity, and acceleration. (Contains 12 references.) (Author/ASK)

Suggests two improved methods to measure the speed of sound in a metal rod. One employs a fast timer to measure the time required for a compression pulse to travel along the rod from end to end, and a second uses a microphone to measure the frequency of the fundamental mode of a freely suspending singing rod. (Author/ASK)

Dynamic field maps and contour curves provide a new way of depicting and analyzing the electric field of uniformly moving point charges. Presents an alternative way of graphically representing the electricity field of a uniformly moving point charge. (CCM)

Presents a method for measuring the speed of light using a laser pointer with adjustable focus as the signal carrier, a signal generator to modulate the light beam, and a student oscilloscope to detect the phase shift. (Author/CCM)

Describes a series of lessons in which 6th grade students explore notions of rates of change and their effect on the shapes of graphs. Addresses aspects of the algebra content standard for the middle grades. (YDS)

Describes an activity in which students construct relationships between their leg lengths, stride lengths, and movements in order to estimate the speeds of the dinosaurs that made various fossilized tracks. (WRM)

Proposes that introductory physics courses extend the analysis of one-dimensional motion to a more sophisticated level. Gives four experimental setups and graphical analysis of the distance, velocity, and acceleration in the vertical and horizontal directions. (WRM)

Presents a 12th-grade class project on measuring velocity-dependent forces encountered in two common forms of locomotion--rollerblading and cycling. (WRM)

Describes a project involving a short car trip in which students experience an early opportunity to work in teams, think about mathematics, gather and analyze speed and distance data, and produce a report on their findings. Provides a typical-authored solution. (Author/ASK)

Presents three methods for obtaining experimental data related to acceleration of a simple pendulum. Two of the methods involve angular position measurements and the subsequent calculation of the acceleration while the third method involves a direct measurement of the acceleration. Compares these results with theoretical calculations and simulations. (JRH)

Presents a simple experiment--a marble rolling on a tilted desk--to introduce students to moving bodies. Makes difficult subjects such as measurement, calculus, modeling, and uncertainty easier to identify by putting them into a simple context. Discusses misconceptions, models, and measurements. (JRH)

Presents a variety of problems, involving kinematics and dynamics, that deal with ropes and their centers of mass. (JRH)

Presents an alternative to the use of a radar to determine how fast an individual can serve a tennis ball. Equipped with a tape recorder and a Macintosh computer, students determine the velocity of a tennis ball by analyzing the sounds and echoes heard on the court. (ZWH)

Discusses a pedagogical approach to calculus based on the question: What kinds of problems should students be able to solve? Includes a discussion of types of problems and curriculum threads for such a course. Describes a projects-based calculus with examples of projects and classroom activities. (Author/MDH)

Discusses solutions to real-world linear particle-motion problems using graphing calculators to simulate the motion and traditional analytic methods of calculus. Applications include (1) changing circular or curvilinear motion into linear motion and (2) linear particle accelerators in physics. (MDH)

Presents an experiment that measures the acceleration and velocity of a model rocket. Lift-off information is transmitted to a computer that creates a graph of the velocity. Discusses the analysis of the computer-generated data and differences between calculated and experimental velocity and acceleration of several rocket types. (MDH)

Solutions to quadratic equations found in solving physics problems sometimes make no sense. Investigates problems in which solutions, such as negative numbers, have significant physical meaning in the problem. Problems are chosen from the topics of kinematics, conservation of mechanical energy, inelastic and elastic collisions, electrostatics, and velocity. (MDH)

Describes how students in an introductory physics and astronomy lab used computer and data interface units to sample a 15 second portion of a prerecorded audiotape of two broadcast stations to measure the speed of light. (CCM)

Describes a science activity that involves dropping weighted strings from a second floor window or the top row of gymnasium bleachers. The activity, which takes only a few seconds, helps students understand the physics concepts of speed, acceleration, and terminal velocity. (TJQ)

Describes the activities of the Physics Teachers Action Research Group in which college physics teachers work together in planning, revising, and evaluating student projects that foster greater conceptual understanding and address student misconceptions. Presents the details of a project in which students were asked to build an accelerometer. (JRH)

Presents a series of simple activities involving generalized two-dimensional motion topics to prepare students to study projectile motion. Uses a pair of motion detectors, each connected to a calculator-based-laboratory (CBL) unit interfaced with a standard graphics calculator, to explore two-dimensional motion. (JRH)

Presents a procedure to demonstrate how the speed of sound in air or within a denser gas can be calculated quickly and accurately in the laboratory. (MKR)

Motion allows things to get done, to communicate and to travel. But is motion controlled? Students will learn about the universal laws that apply to motion, the forces that cause it and how it is related to balance. They will also discover why motion occurs when forces are out of control and learn more about this interesting concept by viewing real-life demonstrations and participating in a hands-on activity. This program presents a clear explanation of Newton's Law of Motion, including the concepts of inertia, acceleration, velocity and momentum. One of the 16 volumes in the Physical Science in Action series in the Schlessinger Science Library. Part of the Schlessinger Science Library in Action Collection. This title correlates to the National Science Education Standards for Physical Science--properties and changes of properties in matter, motions and forces, and transfer of energy. This program includes a teacher's guide. (MM)

All kids are familiar with the basic idea of gravity--it's why things fall to the ground. Gravity uses exciting visuals and clear, colorful graphics to take students beyond the basics to explain that gravity is really a force of attraction between objects. They'll discover that all objects--no matter how large or small--have gravitational force, and that the amount of that force depends on the mass of the distance between them. The contributions of Newton and Galileo are discussed, and gravity's connection with weight, orbits, acceleration and terminal velocity is explored. Includes lots of real- life demonstrations and a fun, hands-on activity that re-creates Galileo's famous experiment, which proved that all objects fall to the ground at the same rate, regardless of their mass. This program is based on the concepts outlined in the National Science Education Standards for Physical Science: Properties and Changes of Properties of Matter, Motions and Forces and Transfer of Energy. This program includes a teacher's guide. (Author)

Walking on a balance beam or riding a bike both require motion and balance. This program will reveal how unbalanced forces create motion, while balanced forces keep things still. Students also learn how concepts like velocity, acceleration, and momentum fit into this puzzle. A unique hands-on activity combined with vivid imagery and graphics explores the ways in which opposing forces can be balanced and unbalanced. This 23-minute videotape correlates to the National Science Education Standards for Physical Science--properties of objects and materials, position and motion of objects, and light, heat, electricity, and magnetism. The program includes a teacher's guide. (MM)

This activity booklet contains activities related to the skill category of velocity. For each behavior that is to be learned, activities are given for primary, elementary-middle, and secondary levels. Behaviors are categorized by levels and are graded, with the easier tasks appearing first. (MP)

This core curriculum contains five units for use in teaching metrics to vocational students. Included in the first unit are a series of learning activities to familiarize students with the terminology of metrics, including the prefixes and their values. Measures of distance and speed are covered. Discussed next are measures of volume used with solids and liquids. Terminology of metric weight and mass measurement as well as conversion to the metric system from the American standard system are addressed in a series of activities. The final unit consists of exercises to enable students to relate temperature scales to one another. Included in each unit are a terminal objective, specific objectives, suggested activities, a listing of instructional materials provided, references, information sheets, student handouts, unit tests, and test answers. (A related basic core curriculum for teaching energy to vocational agriculture students is available separately--see note.) (MN)

Calculates the angular velocity of a spinning top without the simplifying assumption found in most textbooks that the total angular momentum is solely along the symmetry axis. (WRM)

Describes a simple demonstration of the flow of sand through an orifice at the bottom of a sandbox. Advocates the experiment's use with dimensional analysis for students in an introductory physics course. (WRM)

Addresses the relationship between car speed and the safe distance between cars in a linear flow of traffic. (WRM)

Explains the strange effect a crosswind has on motion. (WRM)

Describes an activity in which students try to determine, by using physics calculations, when to drop a raw egg from a tower to hit their physics teacher who is walking beneath it. (WRM)

Describes the measurement of blood speed in blood vessels by using the Doppler effect. (WRM)

Presents a method to measure the mass of a definite amount of a gas that occupies a known volume at a given pressure in order to determine experimentally the root mean square speed of molecules of a gas. (JRH)

Presents a simple but effective experiment that uses ultrasonic transducers and some basic electronics to study the speed of sound using the Doppler effect. Eliminates the noise problems associated with most sound experiments. Discusses the theory, and describes the apparatus and procedure. (JRH)

Describes the use of a laser pointer to measure the speed of light by incorporating the phase delay between a modulated split beam of light. (JRH)

Describes the Packard's Falling Body Apparatus, invented by John C. Packard, which is essentially an inclined plane combined with a simple and elegant method of measuring the relative time of descent of a steel ball. (JRH)

Presents experiments that use the Mattel's Hot Wheels Top Speed toy set to show that work is a measure of energy transferred to or from a system. (JRH)

Describes the graphing calculator as a new graphical approach to standard physics problems. Presents a collision problem to illustrate its use. (JRH)

Describes the use of the computer software "Graphs and Tracks" a tool for interactive computer instruction, in teaching one-dimensional kinematics concepts and connecting these concepts to their graphical representations. Provides ordering information. (JRH)

Describes an activity to determine whether the length of the yellow (warning) signal of a traffic light provides adequate time to stop or pass through the intersection. Discusses the necessary equations, mathematics, and subsequent graphs. (MVL)

Describes the process of problem identification, data collection, and generalization in a mathematical experiment to find the speed at which a bug travels at the end of a fan blade. Presents the learning outcomes of the experiment and possible implications of using this teaching method. (MDH)

Presents a first day physics activity having students determine the fine for a speeding ticket if the speeds considered include the earth's rotation and revolution speed, and the movement through the galaxy. (MDH)

Describes the construction and use of a set of "relativistic metersticks" that represent the apparent lengths of a meterstick passing a stationary observer at relative speed v/c. (WRM)

Describes a modification to an inexpensive pinewood derby car that can be used to demonstrate the summation of the force vectors important in sailing. (WRM)

Advocates the use of subscripts in the formula for relativistic velocity addition to minimize student confusion. (WRM)