Notes:
The Name That Vector Interactive is an adjustable-size 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 smart phones, iPads, other tablets, and Chromebooks make it a perfect tool for use in a 1:1 classroom.
Teaching Ideas and Suggestions:
This Interactive is intended for use near the beginning to middle stages of a learning cycle on addition of vectors. The emphasis of the activity is on understanding that angled vectors can be added together by adding their components together. Make every effort to help students understand that the resultant's components are equal to the sum of the components for the individual vectors that are being added. This Interactive provides an invaluable formative assessment of this concept. The intention is that after some instruction on components and component addition and perhaps some labwork, a classroom could navigate to Name That Vector and use the Interactive as an assessment/learning tool. The availability of the stars in the Progress Report allows a teacher to quickly check-off progress on a per-student basis (if desired). Teachers with Task Tracker accounts can employ our automated tracking system to track student progress.
This simulation is now available with Task Tracker compatibility.
Learn more.
Related Resources
There are numerous resources at The Physics Classroom website that serve as very complementary supports for the Name That Vector 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.Assignment VP5 of the Vectors and Projectiles module makes a great complement to this Interactive. It is best used in the middle to later stages of the learning cycle. Visit the Minds On Physics Internet Modules.
- Curriculum/Practice: Several Concept Development worksheets at the Curriculum Corner will be very useful in assisting students in cultivating their understanding, most notably ...
Vector Components, Vector Resolution and Vector Addition
Vector Addition by Components
Visit the Curriculum Corner.
- Labwork:
Simulations should always support (never replace) hands-on learning. The Laboratory section of The Physics Classroom website includes several hands-on ideas that complement this Interactive. Three notable lab ides include ...
As the Crow Flies Lab
Where Am I? Lab
Road Trip Lab
Visit The Laboratory.
Additional resources and ideas for incorporating Name That Vectors into an instructional unit on vectors can be found at the
Teacher Toolkits section of The Physics Classroom website. Visit
Teacher Toolkits.