Topics addressed

• Motion
• Velcoity
• Acceleration
• Measurement
• Calculation

Description of Field Trip

Suggested Pre- & Post- Test Lessons	Prior to the trip: Place students into groups of five or so, depending on your district's procedure. In order to maintain a 10:1 ratio, we will have two groups of five with each chaperone. Make the acclerometer and the inclinometer with students. Have students practice with these instruments. Print out and copy the lab handout for each student. Have student groups go through the lab book and record any formulae that they think they will need on the day of the trip. Also, have students plan procedures to answer the questions. After the Trip: Collect lab books and assess for completion. (Many students may have shared data.) Use the in class presentation of individual students to determine comprehension. You may also wish to add an individual quiz relating to the concepts applied on the trip.
Rationale for trip & assignment	While there are many physics-centered "Knott's Field Trip Guides", most are geared toward high school students. Additionally, these guides have designed their assignments around the assumption that students will have access to acceleration sensors and graphing calculators. The guide featured on this website was designed specifically for middle school students with 8th grade CA science standards in mind. Further, assignments and questions were designed according to the resources of a typical middle school classrom, as most instruments are hand made.
Cost, etc.	Rates vary by season and group size. For more information, Contact: Groups of 15-49: (714) 220-5211 Groups of 50 or more: (714) 220-5119 or (714) 220-5166 *Tip: Avoid the crowds; you do not need to attend the theme park on the "Official Physics Day" (March 6, 2008) in order to complete these exercises.

 

 

 

Standards

Focus on Physical Science:
Motion

1. The velocity of an object is the rate of change of its position. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know position is defined in relation to some choice of a standard reference point and a set of reference directions.
b. Students know that average speed is the total distance traveled divided by the total time elapsed and that the speed of an object along the path traveled can vary.
c. Students know how to solve problems involving distance, time, and average speed.
d. Students know the velocity of an object must be described by specifying both the direction and the speed of the object.
e. Students know changes in velocity may be due to changes in speed, direction, or both.
f. Students know how to interpret graphs of position versus time and graphs of speed versus time for motion in a single direction.

Forces

2. Unbalanced forces cause changes in velocity. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know a force has both direction and magnitude.
b. Students know when an object is subject to two or more forces at once, the result is the cumulative effect of all the forces.
c. Students know when the forces on an object are balanced, the motion of the object does not change.
d. Students know how to identify separately the two or more forces that are acting on a single static object, including gravity, elastic forces due to tension or compression in matter, and friction.
e. Students know that when the forces on an object are unbalanced, the object will change its velocity (that is, it will speed up, slow down, or change direction).
f. Students know the greater the mass of an object, the more force is needed to achieve the same rate of change in motion.
g. Students know the role of gravity in forming and maintaining the shapes of planets, stars, and the solar system.

Investigation and Experimentation

9. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:
a. Plan and conduct a scientific investigation to test a hypothesis.
b. Evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of data.
c. Distinguish between variable and controlled parameters in a test.
d. Recognize the slope of the linear graph as the constant in the relationship y=kx and apply this principle in interpreting graphs constructed from data.
e. Construct appropriate graphs from data and develop quantitative statements about the relationships between variables.
f. Apply simple mathematic relationships to determine a missing quantity in a mathematic expression, given the two remaining terms (including speed = distance/time, density = mass/volume, force = pressure × area, volume = area × height).
g. Distinguish between linear and nonlinear relationships on a graph of data.