Keeping Track of Momentum (Hit and Stick Collisions) - Directions

 

How it Works:

Using the Keeping Track of Momentum (Hit and Stick Collisions) 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 description of a collision. Information about the momentum of the two colliding objects (Apprentice Difficulty Level) or the mass, speed, and direction of the two colliding objects (Master and Wizard Difficulty Level) is provided. You must analyze the written information and use it to complete a Momentum Table. The Momentum Table displays the momentum of the two colliding objects and of the system of two objects before and after the collision. The change in momentum of the two individual objects and of the system of two objects is also displayed in the table. Entering the momentum values is easy. Simply tap on the cell of the table and use the built-in number pad to enter the values. Once typed in, you can either tap on the Enter button or tap on a different table cell in order to enter another value. Once all the values have been entered, you can tap on the Check Answer button. Your answers will be evaluated and feedback will be given. Red dots will be used to indicate any incorrect values or any values that have not yet been entered. You will be allowed an endless number of opportunities to determine the correct answers; you will not receive the next question until the table is correct and complete. You can use the Help Me! button for assistance.

For each difficulty level, there are two questions which don't involve the completion of a momentum table. These two questions provide a completed momentum table and ask you to make meaning of the table. There are two cells in the table that are highlighted. You must identify which one of the five statements is consistent with the two cells of the table. Tap on the words or on the radio button to the left of the words in order to select your answer option. If you need to deselect the option, then tap a second time. You can tell whether an option is selected because the words will be red and the radio button will be highlighted with a red central dot.  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 difficulty levels in this Concept Builder. When you start up any of these difficulty levels, 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 a 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 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 Keeping Track of Momentum (Hit and Stick Collisions).
 

Thanks for being patient with the Directions. Happy learning!