11th Grade Conservation Of Momentum Lesson Plan

Topic: CONSERVATION OF MOMENTUM IN ONE DIMENSION

Objectives & Outcomes

• Understand the principle of conservation of momentum and how it can be used to solve problems involving colliding objects
• Be able to calculate the total momentum at the end of a collision using the conservation of momentum principle

Materials

• Two unbalanced wooden hobby horses (small unicycles with a handle for balance)
• Two unbalanced wooden hobby horses (small unicycles with a handle for balance)
• A large, empty room with hard flooring (such as gymnasium)
• Velcro strips (optional)

Warm-up

• Have students stand in a line, facing the front of the room.
• Give each student a hobby horse and hold a brief demonstration where one student runs toward another and, at the last moment, exchanges hobby horses with them.
• Ask students to describe what they saw and how it differed from what they would expect if the hobby horses were unbalanced (ie if one hobby horse was heavier than the other).
• Discuss the role of momentum in this exchange and how it would be conserved in a collision.

Direct Instruction

• Define momentum and explain how it is conserved in collisions.
• Explain how to calculate the final momentum of a system using the conservation of momentum.
• Review examples using momentum conservation to illustrate how to apply the formula.

Guided Practice

• Have students work in pairs to solve a series of momentum conservation problems.
• Review the solutions as a class and discuss any difficulties encountered by the students.

Independent Practice

• Assign a project in which students design and conduct an experiment to investigate the effect of friction on the rate of momentum conservation.
• Students should record their initial measurements, conduct the experiment, and analyze the data.
• Students should present their findings to the class in the form of a written report or a verbal presentation.

Closure

• Review the main points of the lesson, including the concept of momentum, its vector nature, and the law of conservation of momentum.
• Ask students to reflect on the importance of momentum conservation in everyday life and how their understanding of the concept has changed since the beginning of the lesson.

Assessment:

• Observe students during the independent practice activity to assess their understanding of the concept of conservation of momentum and their ability to apply it in solving real-world problems.
• Collect and grade the written solutions from the independent practice activity to assess students' understanding of the concept of conservation of momentum.
• Administer a quiz at a later date to assess students' retention of the concept and their ability to apply it in solving problems.