Motion

Introduction

Whether it’s driving in a car or throwing a ball, motion is what makes the world go round. So, what is this motion thing we here so much about? Why do things move the way they do? The basic principles established in studying simple motion can be applied to almost every aspect beyond it. In an earlier lesson we identified the basic terms and concepts involved in motion. Now we must discuss how to describe this motion, so that we can get a better understanding of what is truly involved with it.

Activity

One of the easiest and most common ways of describing motion is using ticker tape diagrams. These ticker tapes can actually be created doing a simple lab, but for this instruction we will simply use the ticker tapes already created on the computer. By clicking on the following picture it will take you to a website where you can read about describing motion in a variety of ways. After reading the introduction, click on the link to ticker tape diagrams. Read through the tutorial on how to interpret the different examples.

Post Reading Assignment

After reading about the variety of ways to describe motion and specifically using ticker tape diagrams, interpret the three examples provided to you at the bottom of the website page. Determine what type of motion would create a ticker tape with that appearance. Be prepared to discuss in class and defend why you interpreted the data that way.