Science Reasoning Center - Projectiles

There were three Projectiles passages in the Legacy version that targeted students' science reasoning abilities. They have each been converted to a Version 2 activity. We have included the links below:

Up and Down
This passage describes a demonstration in which a ball is launched upward from a cart moving at a constant speed. The motion of the ball is analyzed using video analysis and the results are presented in the form of a position (both x- and y-) vs. time graph and a velocity vector diagram. Questions target a student's ability to read, interpret, and interpolate from a graph, to formulate models that are consistent with data, and to translate information from one representation to another representation (e.g, from a diagram to a graph, and vice versa).


Maximum Range of a Projectile
This passage uses Excel-generated plots to describe the trajectory of a projectile, to compare the trajectories for three different launch angles, and to show the effect of launch angle upon range for three different launch speeds. Questions target a student's ability to read graphical information, to interpolate from graphs, to recognize the effect of one variable on another variable, and to use information presented in graphs to answer related questions.


Juggling
This passage describes the trajectory of a rotating juggling club moving through the air. The trajectory of three points on the club are presented in the form of a position (both x- and y-) versus time graph. Questions target a student's ability to select information from a complex graph and to use graphical information to make conclusions regarding the club's orientation and the relative position and rotational direction of various points on the club.