Principal Sponsors
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National Science Foundation
An independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to promote the progress of science.
King Saud University seeks to become a leader in educational and technological innovation, scientific discovery and creativity through fostering an atmosphere of intellectual inspiration and partnership for the prosperity of society.
The O'Donnell Foundation is devoted to building model programs to enhance the quality of education.
Collision Lab
Use an air hockey table to investigate simple collisions in 1D and more complex collisions in 2D. Experiment with the number of discs, masses, and initial conditions. Vary the elasticity and see how the total momentum and kinetic energy changes during collisions.
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Teaching Resources
Main Topics
- Collisions
- Momentum
- Velocity
Sample Learning Goals
- Draw "before-and-after" pictures of collisions.
- Construct momentum vector representations of "before-and-after" collisions.
- Apply law of conservation of momentum to solve problems of collisions.
- Explain why energy is not conserved and varies in some collisions.
- Determine the change in mechanical energy in collisions of varying “elasticity”.
- What does “elasticity” mean?
Tips for Teachers
The teacher's guide (pdf) contains tips created by the PhET team.
Teaching Ideas
| Title | Authors | Level | Type | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Collision Lab : Introduction to One Dimension collisions
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Patricia Loeblein | HS UG-Intro |
Lab HW |
8/8/11 |
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PhET Collision Lab
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Wendy Adams | HS UG-Intro |
Lab | 11/5/10 |
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PhET Collisions
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Brent Olyowski | HS | Lab | 11/5/10 |
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Algebra-based Physics Semester one lessons, clicker questions, and schedule in pdf (Inquiry Based)
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Trish Loeblein | HS UG-Intro |
Lab Demo CQs HW |
7/20/13 |
| Momentum and Collisions | Peter Malecki | HS | Lab | 11/25/13 |
| Collisions | Jeremy Thomas | K-5 | Lab | 6/25/12 |
| Collision investigation lab | Steve Banasiak - HF physics team | HS | Lab | 3/2/11 |
| Momentum and Center of Mass | Sarah Stanhope | HS | Lab | 1/27/11 |
| 1D Collisions Lab | Chris Bires | HS | Lab | 1/11/13 |
| Momentum Lab | Stephanie Givinsky | HS | Lab | 10/31/10 |
You can submit your own ideas and activities.
Related Simulations
Translated Versions:
Software Requirements
| Windows | Macintosh | Linux |
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Microsoft Windows
XP/Vista/7 Macromedia Flash 9 or later |
OS 10.5 or later
Macromedia Flash 9 or later |
Macromedia Flash 9 or later |
Credits
| Design Team | Third-party Libraries | Thanks To |
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