Learning goals: Students will be able to accurately interpret and draw position, velocity and acceleration graphs for common s
First and Last Name: _______________________________
Date: ____________________________________________
Phet Simulation: The Moving Man
Learning goals: Students will be able to accurately interpret and draw position, velocity and acceleration graphs for common situations and explain their reasoning.
Go to https:
phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/legacy/moving-man
Click the Run button and wait a few seconds for the simulation to load. It will not work on iPads.
Click on the Charts tab. Your screen should now look like the one below.
1. You will be Investigating the Moving Man simulation by having the man move. First you will make predictions to the shapes of three different motion graphs. Then you will run the simulation to test your predictions. It works better if you type in the values instead of moving the Man separately. Use the playback features to observe the graphs.
2. Predict Without using the simulation, draw what you think the graphs would look like for the following scenario and explain your reasoning. Use a blue pen colour for the prediction graphs. For all graphs, clearly indicate the positive and negative directions. Always press the Reset All button when you start a new scenario.
Scenario: The man starts at the tree and moves toward the house with constant velocity of 5 m/s.
Position - time graph
Explain your reasoning for the graph’s appearance
Velocity - time graph
Explain your reasoning for the graph’s appearance
Acceleration - time graph
Explain your reasoning for the graph’s appearance
3. Use the Moving man simulation to test your predicted graphs and reasoning. Use a different color pen than the one you used for the predicted graphs.
4. Make new charts for each of the following scenarios. Predict what you think the graphs will look like, and then use Moving man to test and co
ect your predicted graphs and reasoning with a different color pen.
Scenario: The man starts three meters from the house and moves towards the tree while speeding up.
Position - time graph
Explain your reasoning for the graph’s appearance
Velocity - time graph
Explain your reasoning for the graph’s appearance
Acceleration - time graph
Explain your reasoning for the graph’s appearance
5.
Scenario: The man starts two metres from the house. He stands still for three seconds, then walks toward the tree at a constant velocity of -2 m/s for three seconds, then the slows for a few seconds to a stop.
Position - time graph
Explain your reasoning for the graph’s appearance
Velocity - time graph
Explain your reasoning for the graph’s appearance
Acceleration - time graph
Explain your reasoning for the graph’s appearance
6.
Scenario: A man wakes up from his nap under the tree and speeds up toward the house. He stops because he is wo
ied that he dropped his keys. He stands still as he searches his pockets for his keys. Once he finds them, he continues to walk slowly toward the house at a constant speed and then slows to a stop as he nears the door.
Position - time graph
Explain your reasoning for the graph’s appearance
Velocity - time graph
Explain your reasoning for the graph’s appearance
Acceleration - time graph
Explain your reasoning for the graph’s appearance
8. Individually write an explanation for the following graph. Use words like fast, slow, constant velocity, speeding up, slowing down, at rest.
About 75 minutes
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