Estimated Pace for this section: 30-45 minutes

Required Equipment: Practice Sheet (Click to download Word Document)

In completing this section you should be able to demonstrate your mastery of the skills and knowledge presented in section one.

Part 2: The Practice Run

Now that you have training on the basic skills, we are going to take a practice run to be sue you are ready. Download the practice sheet, complete it, and email it back to your teacher as an attachment. Be sure to put your name on your practice sheet.

In the second part of your practice sheet you wil receive an introduction to distance Vs. time graphs by experimenting with an applet found here: The Moving Man Project. Start by playing with the applet to familiarize yourself with how it works (click and drag the stick man back and forth. You should keep the "# of graphs" set to "one" and the "Top Graph" set to "distance". When you are comfortable using the applet, answer the following questions in your practice sheet.

1) What happens to the graph when you move the man towards the school? What happens when you move him back towards home?

1) How do you have to move the man to make a straight line on the graph?

2) Make a line that is as straight as possible, and then find the slope.

3) What are the units on the slope? (remember y-values are meters and x-values are seconds) What does this value tell you?

4) What happens to the graph when you hold the man still?

5) Hold the man still for a few seconds and then find the slope of that part of the graph. What is the slope equal to? What does this value tell you in relation to the value you found in number 3?

6) Is it possible to make the graph a vertical line? Why or why not?

You can learn more about distance vs. time graphs at the links below. After reading more about them feel free to change your original answers to the questions above:

Physcis Classroom Distance Vs. Time

Broad Education Distance Vs. Time

GCSE Physics: Distance Vs. Time

Another Distance Vs. Time Applet from NCTM

Once you have completed this section you should submit your practice sheet to your teacher. You will probably want to wait for feedback on your practice sheet before you try the next section to be sure that you understand everything correctly.