Free-Body Diagrams for Inclined Planes - Directions

 

How it Works:

Using the Free-Body Diagrams for Inclined Planes Concept Builder is quite simple. You will be presented with a verbal description of a physical situation for which you must construct a free-body diagram. You will need to read the description carefully so that you can identify the forces - direction and type - that act upon the object. There are twelve force directions to choose from, each represented by an arrow. Tap on an arrow to add a force to the free-body diagram. Tapping a second time removes the force from the diagram. You must also identify the type of each force you add to the free-body diagram. A number will be listed next to the arrows you've added. For each numbered arrow, indicate the corresponding type in the fields below the free-fody diagram. For any selected force, the field will read Tap Me. Tapping on these fields will toggle (and re-toggle) through the five options for force types - gravity, normal, tension, friction, and applied. You can read about the definitions of the force types by clicking on the Question Mark icon to the left of the free-body diagram. If you remove a force from the free-body diagram, all numbered arrows and force types will be shifted accordingly. As long as you have at least one force arrow on the free-body diagram and as long as every force arrow you have is accompanied by the name of a force type, a Check Answer button will be displayed. If you are satisfied with your answers, then tap on the Check Answer button. Your answer will be evaluated and your Progress Report will be updated. Your goal is to earn "Stars" and to complete one or more levels of difficulty. Stars are earned when you show success on a particular situation. Once you show success on all the graphs at a particular difficulty level, you will earn the trophy for that level.

 

Earning Stars

When you start up either level of difficulty, the number of situations for that level are shown in the Progress Report area of the Concept Builder. You will notice that there is either a Yellow or a Red background for each question number. When starting up a difficulty level, the background color is Yellow. Answering a "Yellow" question correctly earns you a star for that question number. However, answering it incorrectly turns the background color to Red. A question number with a Red background must be correctly answered twice (without a miss) in order to earn a star. 

 

Getting Help

You will notice that there is a Help Me button underneath the Progress Report. You should learn to use this feature of the program. It's how you can turn an exercise in answering questions into an exercise in learning. Tapping on the Help Me button will open a page with help that is specific to each question. Of course, the Help pages are only helpful if you read them. So take the time to read them. Each Help page contains four sections: a discussion of the The Basic Idea, a display of the Graph that you are trying to find a match for, a section titled "How to Think About This Situation", and a set of links to resources in our Tutorial section. You should pay attention to the section titled How to Think About This Situation. You will find what you need to know in the two or three paragraphs of this section. You will also become a better Physics student for doing that. That is, after all, the goal of such an activity as Free-Body Diagrams for Inclined Planes.

Thanks for being patient with the Directions. Happy learning!