Conservation of Energy Using Hot Wheels
This activity engages students to figure out the critical velocity needed for a car to maintain contact with the track while going through a loop. Using this information, they will find the height at which the car must initially be released on the track using conservation of energy.
Materials:
| andrew_wilson_-_conservation_of_energy_lab_student.docx |
| andrew_wilson_-_conservation_of_energy_lab_teacher.docx |
| andrew_wilson_-_conservation_of_energy_lab_materials.docx |
The original activity was created by William Hilburn here.
How this activity was adapted...
- At the end of the lab there is a glossary of words and their definitions, in addition to a short listing of the various units that are used.
- There is a diagram at the beginning of the lab that shows what the set-up should look like and what the variables physically relate to.
- Parts of the diagram have been color-coded, along with various important terms.
- Physics terms and units have been put in bold to highlight their importance.
- Equations have been given at the start of the lab for students to relate back to.
Other ELL Recommendations:
- Model the activity for students so they know what it will look like.
- Have students add bolded words to their vocabulary journals.
- Guided reading of the questions asked in the lab in pairs to check for comprehension of what is being asked.
