Name: Kelvin Mensah Date: Dec 14 2020

Student Exploration: Force and Fan Carts

Vocabulary​: force, friction, position, speed

Prior Knowledge Questions ​(Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

1. If you are pushing a shopping cart and you start pushing harder, what happens?

The shopping cart will start accelerating and the more force that is applied to it the faster it
goes.

2. What happens to a shopping cart if you get it rolling and then release it?

It would keep a constant acceleration for a while before it slows down and stops.

Gizmo Warm-up

1. In the Gizmo, turn the fan ​Off​. Click ​Play (​ ). Did the cart move?

NO

2. Click ​Reset ​( ). Press the ​Low​ fan speed button to turn on the fan.
Click ​Play​. What happened?

It started moving

3. A ​force​ is something that causes change in motion. What provided the

The fan on the cart

4. The speedometer shows the cart’s ​speed​, or​ ​how fast it moves. A speed of 30 cm per second means the
cart moves 30 cm every second. What was the final speed of the cart?

On low the cart moving at a speed of 122.7cm per sec

5. Friction​ is a force that works against motion as surfaces rub each other. Click ​Reset​. Select the ​No
Friction​ surface. Click ​Play​. What was the final speed this time?

134.3cm per sec

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Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
 Get the Gizmo ready​:
Activity A: ● Click ​Reset​.
● Change the ​Surface​ to ​Wood​.
Force and motion ● Be sure there are no objects on the cart.
● The ​Fan speed​ should be set to​ Low​.

Question: How does force affect motion?

1. Run Gizmo​: Press ​Play​. What was the final speed of the cart?

90.6 cm per sec

2. Predict​: Would the cart’s final speed be higher or lower if the fan were set to ​Medium​ instead of ​Low?

The fan speed would be higher due to more force being applied

3. Experiment:​ Click ​Reset​. Change ​Fan speed​ to ​Medium​. Click ​Play​. What was the cart’s final speed?

The speed was 119.3 sec

4. Draw conclusion​: Did the cart speed up more quickly with the fan on ​Low​ or ​Medium​?

The cart sped up more when it was set on medium.

5. Generalize​: On ​Medium​ the fan provides more force than on ​Low​. Make two rules by filling in the blanks
below. (Put the same word in both blanks.)

Force causes the speed of the cart to change.

If more force is used, the speed of the cart changes more quickly.

6. Predict​: Select the DATA tab. Choose ​Bar graph​ or ​Line graph​. This graph shows the cart speed over
time. How would the graph be different if the fan were on ​High​? Why?

The speed over time would increase faster and the time for it to finish would be much
shorter. The more force is applied the faster the speed and the smaller the time

7. Test​: Check your prediction with the Gizmo. What do you observe?

The speed was definitely faster and the time was also faster

8. Extend​: Design an experiment to test the effect of force on a loaded cart. You can choose any surface and
any object to load onto the cart. In the space below, report your question, prediction, procedure,
observations, and conclusion.

Load​: Soda bottle 3kg

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Question​: With a weight of 3kg on the fan cart, will the speed be faster with the fan set on
low than when it is set on high, and will the surface change these results?
Hypothesis: ​No matter the weight on the cart and the type of surface it on as long as the
fan is set on high or as long as the force increases it would always have the fastest time
and speed.
Procedure
Low Force: Time:​93.7sec​ Speed: ​10.7cm per sec
Med Force: Time:​21.8sec​ Speed:​46.3cm per sec
High Force: Time:​14.5sec ​Speed:​69.8cm per sec
Conclusion​: My hypothesis was right. As long as there is more force or wind applied to the
fan cart and there is a weight on it with the surface is concrete the cart will always reach its
destination faster.

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 Activity B:
Get the Gizmo ready​:
Running out of
● Click ​Reset​.
steam?

Question: Why do objects slow down when there is nothing pushing them?

1. Observe​: Use the Gizmo to explore the question above. Try different objects and surfaces. Each time, turn
the fan​ Off​ while the cart is moving. (You may find it helpful to pause the Gizmo with the ​Pause ​( )
button, turn the fan off, and then click ​Play​ to restart.)

2. Form hypothesis​: What causes an object to slow down after no longer being pushed?

Friction

3. Predict​: Set ​Fan speed​ to ​High​. Based on your hypothesis, ✏ circle all s​ urfaces that will cause a moving
cart to slow down after the fan is turned off. (You may circle more than one.)

4. Test​: Run the trials using the Gizmo. Which surface(s) caused the cart to slow down?

5. Draw conclusion​: What causes objects to slow down when they are no longer pushed?

There was no more applied force acting against friction on the wheels causing the cart to
slow down

6. Think about it​: Imagine the track in the Gizmo went on forever. If there were no friction, how long would it
take the cart to stop after you turned off the fan? Explain.

Once the cart is in motion and there is no friction and any other force resisting against the
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 cart it will move forever.

7. Analyze​: Which surface in the Gizmo has the most friction? Explain how you can tell.

The cement had the most friction because it took the longest to accelerate and the longest
to get to its destination

Get the Gizmo ready​:

Question: Are there any patterns in the motion of objects?

1. Run Gizmo​: Be sure ​No friction ​is selected. Click ​Play​. After about 3 seconds, turn the fan ​Off​. (We
recommend that you click ​Pause​, turn the fan off, and then click P ​ lay​ to restart the Gizmo.)

2. Observe​: Select the DATA tab. Select ​Position​. The ​position​ of the cart is its location (how far from the
start line). What pattern do you see in the position data after the fan is off?

After the fan was turned off it kept increasing by about 31.9cm every second

3. Connect​: How is the final speed of the cart related to the pattern in the position data?

The position and speeds data shows after 4 sec it had s constant acceleration of 31.9cm

4. Analyze​: Why does that pattern happen? (Hint: Think about what “cm per second” means.)

for every cm, the cart moved it travels at a speed of 31.9sec

5. Observe​: Select ​Speed​. What pattern do you see in the speed data, after the fan is off?

It had a speed of zero but kept going at a speed of 31.9cm per sec

6. Connect​: How does the bar graph (or line graph) show the pattern you found?

The speed levels were increasing due to there being force with the fan then when the fan
turned off the speed levels stopped increasing showing straight lines throughout the speed
and time.

7. Generalize​: Fill in the blank below to state a rule based on what you saw.
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If there is no force, the speed does not change at all.

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