Had my first session with Martha, Gilberto and Gryselda today. Worked on a problem of how to figure out the optimal takeoff angle for a jumper who is trying to achieve the maximum horizontal distance on his jump. We spent some time reviewing how knowing the x and y components of velocity can help us figure out the angle using the tangent function.
It would be really helpful if we could manually input vx and vy for experimental purposes. Dragging the arrow is a little cumbersome for trying to get an exact value. However, in order to make the process more fun and add to the discovery component of the lesson, I created a game where they have to launch a projectile at whatever vx and vy they choose, and try to get it to land between a marker and the edge of the window. They are supposed to record their trials by commenting.
Another small difficulty I envision our group running into is in trying to record the results of various trials. Ideally, we would have some sort of ruler by which we could measure the distance the ball travels. The grid in the background functions in this way, but it disappears when the simulation is in play mode. Any ideas about this? One of my students suggested creating the markers to give us some idea of where the ball landed.
Let's see how the homework turns out if someone discovers that 45 degrees is the magic angle. The next step will be to incorporate some air drag into the process and talk about analytical solutions vs experimental ones.
>if we could manually input vx and vy for experimental purposes.
ReplyDeleteVery reasonable request, we will add to wish list. Note that holding down ctrl key prevents snapping to grid resulting in more accurate vx-vy settings
>measure the distance the ball travels
rulers are on the wish list. In the meantime, try using toggle track to trace the ball path and then in the chart window, plot the x-y motion to get the distance.