1.

5 Add to Your Understanding Science Notes

ACCIDENT CHALLENGE

Learning Set 1

1.5 Add to Your Understanding Science Notes

Energy in Motion
1.5: Part 1 of 2 Moving Energy and Energy Transfer
Energy is a word that gets used a lot in our society, and it has many meanings. You certainly have heard of the word energy, and you likely use it frequently: I have lots of energy today. Turn out the lights to save energy. My mom says our energy bill is too high and we need to conserve more. While each of these uses has meaning and can be important, we are going to focus on how science and engineering uses the word energy. For the Accident Challenge, we are going to look specifically at the energy of moving objects. All things that are moving have energy.

Earlier, you watched the some videos of vehicle collisions, both in real-life and in laboratory settings. You made a list of observations of things you noticed during the collisions. You might have noticed: loud noises, car materials being deformed, with bits of each car flying in different directions, and, even other cars being damaged.

You may have also noticed that each vehicle experiences a change in the way it is moving before and after the collision. Before the collision, the strike vehicle is typically moving and the target vehicle is sitting still. After the collision, the strike vehicle tends to slow down or stop, and the target vehicle quickly begins to move, and then it eventually comes to a stop. Each of these changes in motion are the result of changes in energy in each vehicle.

Lets look further at your model of the truck hitting the car. When the truck is rolling down the ramp, the truck has moving energy. The car at the bottom of the ramp is still, and so it doesnt have moving energy. After they collide, the truck is moving, though differently than before, so it still has some moving energy. The car is suddenly moving, and so it now has moving energy.

1.5 Add to Your Understanding Science Notes

Where did the car get its energy from? This is probably an obvious answer, but during the collision, the truck transfers some of its energy to the car. Energy can be transferred from one moving object to another when they interact. Look again at the videos of the collisions. With your teacher and class, discuss possible signs that indicate energy being transferred from one vehicle to the other.

CLASS

Review the collision videos, and list indicators of energy being transferred.

Watch Video 5

1.5: Part 2 of 2 Moving Energy and the Accident Data

Not all of the collisions you viewed in the videos resulted in the same outcomes. Sometimes the vehicles travel different distances after the collision. In Part 1, you discussed why the data may have changed from last year to this year. Could it be that the data is different, because the amount of energy transferred from the trucks to the cars is different this year? If the transfer of energy from the strike vehicle to the target vehicle is different, this might explain why some cars travel further after the collision. How could we test that idea with your LEGO model? Think about and record some of the variables you could change and test in your LEGO model to see if those changes would affect how far the car travels after the collision. Your teacher will record the class list on the board as you discuss them. Suggest some possible variable changes that you could test with your LEGO model. Your teacher will record this list on the board.

CLASS

1.8 Reflect & Connect: Evaluate Solution to the Challenge