Notes:
The Cart and Brick Interactive is an adjustable-size file that displays nicely on tablets such as the iPad, on Chromebooks, and on laptops and desktops. The size of the Interactive can be scaled to fit the device that it is displayed on. The compatibility with iPads, other tablets, and Chromebooks make it a perfect tool for use in a 1:1 classroom. This Interactive does not display as nicely on all phones and we do not recommend its use on many phones.
Teaching Ideas and Suggestions:
This Interactive is intended for use near the early to middle stages of a learning cycle on momentum and collisions. It makes for a great introduction to the topic of momentum conservation and a pre-cursor to additional hands-on labwork. (It also makes a great make-up lab for those students who missed a lab on momentum conservation.) The provided ticker tape diagrams allow students to determine pre- and post-collisions velocities. If they have never performed ticker tape analysis, a short tutorial guides them through the process. The
activity sheet associated with this Interactive is recommended.
Related Resources
There are numerous resources at The Physics Classroom website that serve as very complementary supports for the Cart and Brick Interactive. These include:
- Minds On Physics Internet Modules:
The Minds On Physics Internet Modules include a collection of interactive questioning modules that help learners assess their understanding of physics concepts and solidify those understandings by answering questions that require higher-order thinking. Assignments MC4, MC5, MC6, and MC7 of the Momentum and Collisions module provide great complements to this Interactive. They are best used in the middle to later stages of the learning cycle. Visit the Minds On Physics Internet Modules.
- Animation: Numerous GIF Animations at The Multimedia Physics Studios
The Momentum and Collisions section of the Multimedia Physics Studios has several instructive animations that depict the collisions of objects. Visit the Multimedia Physics Studios.
- Curriculum/Practice: Several Concept Development worksheets at the Curriculum Corner will be very useful in assisting students in cultivating their understanding, most notably ...
Action-Reaction and Momentum Conservation
Collision Analysis
Visit the Curriculum Corner.
- Labwork:
Simulations should always support (never supplant) hands-on learning. The Laboratory section of The Physics Classroom website includes several hands-on ideas that complement this Interactive. Three notable lab ideas include ...
Before and After Lab
Sand Balloon Lab
Inelastic Collision Analysis
Visit The Laboratory.
- Science Reasoning Activities:
Science classrooms should be filled with reasoning activities. There is one related activity in the Momentum and Collisions section of the Science Reasoning Center that will challenge students to employ close reading, data analysis, and logical reasoning. The activities are named ...
Collisions
Visit the Science Reasoning Center.
Additional resources and ideas for incorporating the Cart and Brick Interactive into an instructional unit on momentum and collisions can be found at the
Teacher Toolkits section of The Physics Classroom website. Visit
Teacher Toolkits.