Student Exploration: Force and Fan Carts

Student Exploration: Force and Fan Carts Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and prompts in the orange boxes. Vocabulary: force, friction, position, speed Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) 1. If you are pushing a shopping cart and you start pushing harder, what happens? 2. What happens to a shopping cart if you get it rolling and then release it? Gizmo Warm-up 1. In the Gizmo, turn the fan Off. Click Play ( ). Did the cart move? 2. Click Reset ( ). Press the Low fan speed button to turn on the fan. Click Play. What happened? 3. A force is something that causes change in motion. What provided the force that made the cart speed up? 4. The speedometer shows the cart’s speed, or how fast it moves. A speed of 30 cm per second means the cart moves 30 cm every second. What was the final speed of the cart? 5. Friction is a force that works against motion as surfaces rub each other. Click Reset. Select the No Friction surface. Click Play. Wha