This week, I chose to investigate the question "How do different surfaces affect the momentum of marbles? In the investigation, I used a 1-inch binder as a slope, two different marbles, a meter stick, and a stopwatch. I chose two different surfaces: carpet and linoleum. On the carpet, I timed how far the marble traveled in one second. I repeated this three times. Since I believe the marble will travel faster and farther on the linoleum, I decided to make a mark on the floor at one meter and time how fast it took the marble to travel that distance. I repeated this three times as well.
I found the small marble traveled an average of 8.3 inches per second on the carpet. The larger marble traveled 10.6 inches per second. On the linoleum, the small marble traveled 16.46 inches per second and the larger marble traveled 15.26 inches per second. The results were the carpet slowed the momentum of the marble because of friction. The marbles had more momentum on the linoleum because there is less friction. These were the results I expected.
This activity was not without challenges. At the beginning of the investigation, I knew that I would measure from the bottom of the binder, but I was not sure how to incorporate the time. I had a difficulty relating the collected data back to the focus question of the investigation. I did not have a scale, therefore I was not able to weigh the marbles. I know that the mass of the marble is a factor in measuring the momentum.
If I were to do this investigation in the classroom, I would have three groups test on the carpet and three groups test on the tile or linoleum. I would discuss momentum before the investigation and be sure each group knows how to calculate. In order to make this more interesting, I would create a scenario or a real-world problem for students to solve. I would want my students to have a good understanding of momentum, know how to calculate it. Initially, I would like for them to find the momentum of one size marble. When they analyze the results, then the next step would be to test a different size marble, or another object to test. This would be our next question to investigate.
Monica,
ReplyDeleteI also had challenges with my pendulum experiment that caused me to wonder how successful I would be with open-inquiry in my classroom. I think it would be difficult for my third grade students to reason through some of the difficulties and find solutions independently without getting frustrated. Do you feel that the higher levels of inquiry may be better suited to older students?
Yes, but there is the option of scaffolding the guided inquiry. Give the support where needed until they are able to do it themselves. Even for fifth graders, I find it difficult to use open-inquiry. I thought that within a lesson, I could give students time for open inquiry, but then guide them creating procedures for the investigatin.
ReplyDelete