Epsilon(AS level) Physics | Kinematics | Lesson plan

Schedule

sep 15 - Oct 7 (3 weeks)

Content

  • Kinematics vs dynamics
  • distance/speed vs displacement/velocity
  • acceleration
  • displacement-time graphs and velocity-time graphs
  • Equations of motion
  • 2 dimensions: projectiles

Instructional objectives

Students should be able to:

  • understand the difference between kinematics and dynamics
  • define and use distance, displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration
  • use graphical methods to represent distance, displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration
  • determine displacement from the area under a velocity-time graph
  • determine velocity using the gradient of a displacement-time graph
  • determine acceleration using the gradient of a velocity-time graph
  • derive, from the definitions of velocity and acceleration, equations that represent uniformly accelerated motion in a straight line
  • solve problems using equations that represent uniformly accelerated motion in a straight line, including the motion of bodies falling in a uniform gravitational field without air resistance
  • describe an experiment to determine the acceleration of free fall using a falling body
  • describe and explain motion due to a uniform velocity in one direction and a uniform acceleration in a perpendicular direction
  • measure velocity and aacceleration practically.

Teaching Process

Some of the concepts are already familiar to the students. Questions using these concepts would be discussed to evaluate their understanding. Practical aspects of measuring velocity and acceleration would be the main focus. After which, a study of two dimensional motion will follow.

Activities

  • Building a speedometer
  • Building a ultrasonic distance sensor
  • Building a ticker timer
  • Measuring speeds from a video
  • Using these to measure g
  • Using the accelerometer on a smartphone
  • Measuring range and maximum height of a projectile.

Suggested reading / References

Assignments / Evaluation

  • written test
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