Being Impulsive About Momentum Change - Directions

 

How it Works:

Using the Being Impulsive About Momentum Change Concept Builder is quite simple. There are three different difficulty levels, each with the same emphasis but noticeably different question difficulty. For each difficulty level you will be presented with a question that you will have to answer. In the first difficulty level - Apprentice - you will be provided the initial and final momentum of an object and asked to determine the impulse or the momentum change or the force-time values that would cause such a momentum change. In the second difficulty level - Master - you will be provided the mass and velocity of the object and asked to determine the collision parameters that would cause such a momentum change; answer options vary in type, including a mix of impulse, momentum change, and force-time values. In the third difficulty level - Wizard - you will have to identify two different sets of collision parameters that would collectively cause the given momentum change; answer options vary in type, including a mix of impulse, momentum change, and force-time values.

You can select an answer by tapping on any of the answer options near the bottom of the Concept Builder. Once an option is selected, it can be deselected by tapping again or by tapping on a second option. Once you have selected and tapped on an answer, a Check Answer button appears. Once you are satisfied with your answer, 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 of the difficulty levels. Stars are earned when you demonstrate success with a particular question. Once you show success on all the situations at a particular difficulty level, you will earn the trophy for that level.

Earning Stars

There are three activities in this Concept Builder. When you start up any of these activities, the number of questions for that activity 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 an activity, 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 Question that you are trying to answer, 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 Being Impulsive About Momentum Change.
 
 

Thanks for being patient with the Directions. Happy learning!