Doggie Physics by Shawn Piasecki
 
 
 
 
Project Description
This project is designed to make physics more meaningful to students than just “a bunch of hard problems.”  With every new concept learned, there is a link to how it is related to real world problem solving skills.  After the unit project on Doggie Physics is completed, the students are expected to have a strong background in dimensional analysis used to derive equations and also to be able to easily calculate forces and tensions on a moving body.
 
Driving Question
“How fast would you have to run to make something fly?”
 
Goals
  1. •    Students will have a strong background in dimensional analysis and how to use this concept for deriving equations that are not defined explicitly.
  2. •    Understand the forces and properties of air that act on an object in flight.
  3. •    Understand simple trigonometry functions and how they can relate to deriving equations for unknown angles or lengths of a system.
  4. •    Have a strong background in vectors and how they relate to tension (or force) on an object.
 
Project Objectives
  1. •    Define dimensional analysis.
  2. •    Relate dimensional analysis to deriving equations.
  3. •    Define forces of air acting on a moving body.
  4. •    Define simple trigonometry functions.
  5. •    Define vectors and their uses.
  6. •    Relate tension to vectors to show their importance.
  7. •    Relate the concepts learned to real world problems.
  8. •    Have the students use everything they learned in this unit to solve the driving question.
 
Standards Addressed
Lesson 1, Benchmark 1:
            §112.45. Chemistry. (2)  Scientific processes. The student uses     scientific methods during field and laboratory investigations. The student is expected to: (B)  make measurements with precision; (C)  express and manipulate chemical quantities using scientific conventions and mathematical procedures such as dimensional analysis; (D)  organize, analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and predict trends from data; and (E)  communicate valid conclusions.
 
Lesson 2:
            §112.47. Physics: (2)  Scientific processes. The student uses scientific methods during field and laboratory investigations. The student is expected to: (B)  make quantitative observations with precision; (D)  communicate valid conclusions; (4)  Science concepts. The student knows the laws governing motion. The student is expected to: (C)  demonstrate the effects of forces on the motion of objects; (D)  develop and interpret a free-body diagram for force analysis; and (E)  identify and describe motion relative to different frames of reference.
 
Benchmark 2:
            §111.34. Geometry (G.5)  Geometric patterns. The student uses a variety of representations to describe geometric relationships and solve problems.  The student is expected to: (D)  identify and apply patterns from right triangles to solve meaningful problems, including special right triangles (45-45-90 and 30-60-90).  (G.11)  Similarity and the geometry of shape. The student applies the concepts of similarity to justify properties of figures and solve problems.  The student is expected to: (A)  use and extend similarity properties and transformations to explore and justify conjectures about geometric figures; (B)  use ratios to solve problems involving similar figures; (C)  develop, apply, and justify triangle similarity relationships, such as right triangle ratios
            §111.35. Precalculus (P.3)  The student uses functions and their properties, tools and technology, to model and solve meaningful problems.  The student is expected to: (A)  investigate properties of trigonometric functions; (B)  use functions such as trigonometric to model real-life data; (D)  use properties of functions to analyze and solve problems and make predictions; and (E)  solve problems from physical situations using trigonometry.
 
 Lesson 3:
            §111.35. Precalculus (P.6)  The student uses vectors to model physical situations.  The student is expected to: (A)  use the concept of vectors to model situations defined by magnitude and direction; and (B)  analyze and solve vector problems generated by real-life situations.
            §112.47. Physics (4)  Science concepts. The student knows the laws governing motion. The student is expected to: (B)  analyze examples of uniform and accelerated motion including linear;(C)  demonstrate the effects of forces on the motion of objects; (D)  develop and interpret a free-body diagram for force analysis; and (E)  identify and describe motion relative to different frames of reference.
 
 
Assessment
Throughout the course of the four week unit, the students will have weekly quizzes (three total) to assure that they are learning the concepts taught to provide a medium between formative and summative assessment of the students.  Homework is assigned to reinforce the understanding once the lesson is over, also for a type of formative assessment.  A unit project is due at the end of the four week unit, in which students will work in groups to solve the driving question to provide the teacher with summative assessment.