However, they will find that their values are all over the place. Since acceleration is the quantity of interest in this case, students will usually start by looking at the graph showing time against acceleration. The students should process the video to produce data that can be plotted in graphs showing time against speed, time against velocity or time against acceleration.
A Slinky has a surprising yet relatively well known property: if it is held by its top and stretched under its own weight, when released, the bottom of the Slinky will not move until the Slinky has collapsed completely (see figure 1). It can be used for many things, from illustrating longitudinal waves to walking down stairs. The experiment Image courtesy of MarkusĪ Slinky® is essential in any physics classroom. This suggestion for a lesson activity is the result of such an investigation performed by a student for an ordinary physics course assignment, in which the results completely surprised both the student and the teacher. And detailed analysis of seemingly everyday phenomena can sometimes lead to the most surprising results!
But thanks to the fast evolution of mobile phone cameras, video analysis can now be used to easily carry out investigations that a few years ago could be done only in top research labs. Most experiments involve things like pulling a wooden block along a flat surface with a Newton meter or spring scale, or dropping a tennis ball from different heights – activities that may neither surprise nor engage the students to any desired extent. Use one of the most surprising experiments in classical mechanics to teach the scientific method, video analysis and mechanics.Ĭlassical mechanics in secondary education can sometimes be challenging to teach and to learn.