The Physics Classroom » Physics Interactives » Kinematics » GraphMouseSim » GraphMouseSim Notes

Notes:

The GraphMouseSim Interactive is a re-scalable file that displays nicely on smart phones, 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 phones, iPads, other tablets, and Chromebooks make it a perfect tool for use in a 1:1 classroom.
 

 

Teaching Ideas and Suggestions:

We now have several Interactives that allow classrooms to investigate kinematic graphing without the need to high cost motion detection hardware and software. This GraphMouseSim and our Pace Tracer 1, Pace Tracer 2, and Motion Detector Sim can all be done with readily available resources that likely already exist in the school (and in students' back pockets).

This Interactive is intended for use at any time during a learning cycle on kinematic graphing. If using the sim early in the learning cycle, we recommend providing students some concrete and systematic directions as to how to proceed. Those directions can be as simple as ...
  • move horizontally to the right at constant speed
  • move horizontally to the left at constant speed
  • move vertically to the up at constant speed
  • move vertically to down left at constant speed
  • starting at the left, move horizontally to the right (in the positive direction) with gradually increasing speed
  • starting at the right, move horizontally to the left (in the negative direction) with gradually increasing speed
  • starting at the bottom, move vertically towards the top (in the positive direction) with gradually increasing speed
  • starting at the top, move vertically towards the bottom (in the negative direction) with gradually increasing speed
Once students have gained a basic understanding of the graph-motion relationship, some more sophisticated investigations can ensue. We think the simulation would even work great to explore motions like circular motion or simple harmonic motion to see how the x- and y-position vary with time. So keep the sim in mind when you get to harmonic motion and return for a short investigation.
 
 

Related Resources

There are numerous resources at The Physics Classroom website that serve as very complementary supports for the GraphMouseSim Interactive. These include:
  • Concept Builders:
    There's a Concept Builder for just about everything and there's plenty of them for kinematics. The Position-Time Graph: Conceptual Analysis would be a great complement to this interactive.

     
  • 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. Just about any of the first four assignments of the Kinematic Graphing 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 1D Kinematics section of the Multimedia Physics Studios has several instructive animations that animate the motion of an object and show the corresponding position-time and velocity-time graphs for that motion. 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. Here are a couple:

    Describing Motion with Position-Time Graphs
    Graphing Summary

    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 ...

    Position-Time Graphs Lab
    Match That Graph Lab

    Visit The Laboratory.
  

Additional resources and ideas for incorporating GraphMouseSim into an instructional unit on kinematic graphing can be found at the Teacher Toolkits section of The Physics Classroom website.  Visit Teacher Toolkits.
 

 

Credits

We owe a special thanks to Physics teacher Martin Kirby for contributing the GraphMouseSim to our Interactives collection. Martin has contributed many other simulations to our Interactives collection. You can view them all by visiting our page listing all Martin Kirby Simulations. Or visit Martin's website (https://sites.google.com/a/kirbyx.com/) to learn more.