Learning Outcomes for Momentum and Collisions

 

Lesson Plans || Learning Outcomes and Activities || Teacher Notes || Labs

 

The list below displays sample learning objectives for the unit on Vectors and Projectiles. The various activities from the Lesson Plans have been organized by objective. This format of organizing The Physics Classroom's activities may be more useful to some teachers than the Lesson Plan format. It is worth noting that the activities identified below only include those activities included on the Lesson Plans and in the Pre-Built Task Tracker courses. Additional activities are referenced on the Teacher Notes page.

 

1. Momentum

Define momentum and identify its units; relate the quantity of momentum to the variables that affect it and identify the direction of the momentum vector.
 

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2. Impulse-Momentum Change Relationship

Describe what an impulse is and relate it to the amount of momentum change that it causes; use the impulse-momentum change relationship to analyze physical scenarios and to predict the effect that a variable change would have upon the outcome.
 

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3. Action-Reaction and Momentum Conservation

Use Newton's third law and second law to  compare the force, the collision time, the impulse, the momentum change, and the velocity change of the two objects involved in a collision or explosion; explain and use the law of momentum conservation.
 

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4. Momentum Conservation and Explosions

Analyze an explosion situation involving two objects to show that momentum is conserved and conduct an analysis to predict the post-explosion speed of one of the objects.
 

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5. Momentum Conservation and Collisions

Conduct a momentum analysis of a collision to show that system momentum is conserved and to use such a momentum analysis to predict an unknown post-collision velocity.
 

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6. Momentum Conservation and Proportional Reasoning

Use proportional reasoning skills to predict the post-collision velocity of an hit-and-stick collision when the mas ratios of the colliding object and the initial speed are known (one object initially at rest).
 

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7. Momentum Plus Problems

Combine a momentum analysis with other Physics (e.g., kinematics and/or Newton's Laws) to analyze physical scenarios involving collisions and a pre- or post-collision motion.
 

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8. Momentum Conservation in Two Dimensions

Utilize vector principles and momentum conservation principles to analyze a two-dimensional collision and to determine a post-collision velocity value.
 

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9. Perfectly Elastic Collisions

Contrast perfectly elastic collisions to other collisions in terms of the total system kinetic energy and combine a momentum analysis with an energy analysis to solve problems for perfectly elastic collisions.
 

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Review Activities

 

Also Available ...

Physics teachers may find the following for-sale tools to be useful supplements to our Lesson Plan and Pacing Guide section:

 

1. Task Tracker Subscription (annual purchase)
   A subscription allows teachers to set up classes, add students, customize online assignments, view student progress/scores, and export student scores. Task Tracker accounts allow your students to begin assignments in class or at school and to finish them at home. View our Seat and Cost Calculator for pricing details.
    
2. The Solutions Guide
   We publish a free curriculum with >200 ready-to-use Think Sheets for developing physics concepts. The Solutions Guide is a download containing the source documents, PDFs of source documents, and answers/solutions in MS Word and PDF format. An expanded license agreement is included with the purchase. (Cost: $25 download)
    
3. Teacher Presentation Pack
   This is a large collection of downloadable content packed with nearly 190 Microsoft PowerPoint slide decks, the corresponding Lesson Notes (as PDF and fully-modifiable MS Word format), about 170 animations (in .gif, .png, and .mp4 file formats), a countless number of ready-to-use images (including the original source documents that would allow for easy modification of those images), and a license that allows teachers to modify and use all the content with their classes on password-protected sites (such as course management systems).  (Cost: $40 download)
    
4. Question Bank
   We distribute a Question Bank that includes more than 9300 questions neatly organized according to topic. The Question Bank is the perfect tool for busy teachers or new teachers. Even if you don't use the website with your classes, the Question Bank will assist you in quickly putting together quizzes, tests and other documents with high-quality questions that target student's conceptions of physics principles. And if you do use The Physics Classroom website, the Question Bank is the perfect complement to the materials found at the website. (Cost: $25 download)