5/3/2019 Free Body Diagram Inquiry Project - Google Docs

FREE BODY DIAGRAM PROJECT 

Lesson Plan for High School Physics 
Prepared by Jon Fall 

OVERVIEW & PURPOSE 

This lesson will make the students apply what they have learned about forces to a real 
world situation of their choosing, and then have them analyze and critique each others’ 
projects.  

EDUCATION STANDARDS 

1. Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion 
describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a 
macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration. 

OBJECTIVES 

1. The physics student will be able to determine if Newton’s laws mathematically 

result in representations of motion that accurately describes motion we see in the 
real world within reasonable accuracy and made with reasonable assumptions, 
when applicable. 
2. The physics student will create a representation of a real world object in motion 
using real world data that can be used to extrapolate information using Newton’s 
Laws about its motion that is in an range of 90% accuracy to the real world data 
we have on the object. 

MATERIALS NEEDED 

1. Laptops/computers (1 per student ideally, or at least 1 for every 3 students) 

2. Whiteboards (1 per group/table) - at table at start of class 
3. Expo Markers (1 per group/table) - at table at start of class 

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VERIFICATION 

Steps to check for student understanding 

1. Questions and discussion throughout lesson 

2. Observations throughout work time 
3. Presentations of projects 
4. Peer Evaluations 
5. Project Rubric 

ACTIVITY/LESSON
Review of Previous Lessons (~5-6 min) 
● Warm up questions - Have the groups made by proximity answer these questions 
together on their white-boards. Discuss or correct answers to these in between 
asking the next question (one question at a time) 
○ What is Newton’s First law? 
○ Draw a free body diagram depicting a box being dragged along the floor 
○ What is Newton’s Second law? 
Directions for Inquiry Project (~10) 
● Today we are going to use what we know about Forces and Newton’s Laws to 
develop some of our own real world representations of motion.  
● Explain the following directions for the project before letting them get to work 
● The students will be broken up into groups of two or three, if needed, based upon 
ability and/or interest. 
● Each group will choose something that is typically in motion, this can be anything 
the group wants that still allows them to meet the following criteria.  
● Each group will need to construct a free body diagram representing whatever 
object they choose. Explain to the class: 
○ This should include scalar quantities (like mass), vector magnitudes, vector 
directions, and units, which should all be accurate to real world average 
data that they can find or be reasonable assumptions approved by the 
teacher. 
○ As a bonus, the student may attempt to accurately include resulting 
velocities or other things, which may include researching completely new 
topics and attempting to apply them (like impulse). 
○ If they want to do something that involved rotational forces (torque) they 

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need to have it approved. Good students may be able to handle learning 

general torque on their own, but generally they should be encouraged to 
not involve rotation since it has not been discussed yet. 
● After the groups have finished their diagrams they will have the opportunity to 
discuss them with the rest of the class. Each group will present their diagrams and 
show how using Newton’s laws and their diagram one could extrapolate values 
for forces and accelerations similar to what we know about the object in the real 
world. 
● Students will have an opportunity to grade the group members on participation, 
this will be a part of the grade (3pts, 1 point for acceptable in each category). 
Group Project Work Time (~20-30) 
● Have each group get together at a table, once they as a group have decided what 
they want to do their project on, they will come to the teacher to get it approved, 
and then they may go get a computer to begin their research of necessary data. 
● Each group will need to attempt to justify whatever real world data they have 
with Newton’s Laws. 
● While they are working, walk around the classroom and assess progress and also 
if any students are displaying frustration and may need some assistance. 
● Once each group is finished, have them put away their computers or return to 
their seats. 
● If they finish early, have them consider their object’s movement as time passes. 
Does it decelerate, accelerate, or collide with anything? If it decelerates, how long 
until it stops if nothing else acts on it? If it accelerates, does it have a terminal 
velocity or can it continue infinitely? If it collides with something, try to research 
the physics behind collisions (impulse, momentum, etc.) and demonstrate that as 
well.  
Presentation Prep Time (Rest of class) 
● As it will likely be near the end of class, have the groups plan their presentation of 
their diagram that they will do in the next class period. 
Presenting Projects (~20-30 min) 
● Have one group present and defend why their diagram is accurate and how one 
could use Newton’s laws to get data similar to the data they looked up about their 
object. Then, allow the class to ask questions about it or possibly correct some 
false assumptions, if applicable. 
● Some sample questions to use one the first couple of projects in case the students 
don’t know what to ask might include: 
○ Where did you get your statistics for your project? 

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○ How would it change if some other force acted on it (like possible air 
resistance, friction, or other forces they initially did not account for) 
○ (If they didn’t include it in the presentation), did they do some calculations 
of their own to compare with the real world information they 
incorporated? 
Conclusion of This Lesson (~8 min) 
● In the last two days, the class has looked at a number of examples that we 
developed ourselves that accurately represent the real world. Discuss with the 
class these questions. 
○ What does that say for the validity of Newton’s Laws? 
■ The examples the class make and analyzed should, and if there are 
some that seem to counteract it, discuss or teach them what went 
wrong with the example and what should’ve/shouldn’t have been 
considered, this leads into the next question. 
○ Were there any instances where Newton’s Laws didn’t quite add up to the 
real world expectations? If so, why might that have been the case? Could 
we have made a mistake? 
● What we should gather from this is that Newton’s Laws really are laws that are 
consistently true. 
   

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5/3/2019 Free Body Diagram Inquiry Project - Google Docs

HANDOUTS 

Peer Review For: 

 
Name:____________________________________ 
 
1. Rate your partner(s)’ cooperation and explain. ____ Acceptable ___ Unacceptable 
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________ 
____________________________________________________________________________________________ 
 
2. Rate your partner(s)’ participation and explain. ____ Acceptable ___ Unacceptable 
____________________________________________________________________________________________ 
____________________________________________________________________________________________ 
____________________________________________________________________________________________ 
 
3. Rate your partner(s)’ contribution and explain. ____ Acceptable ___ Unacceptable 
____________________________________________________________________________________________ 
____________________________________________________________________________________________ 
____________________________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Rubric for Project 
 

Components  Exceeds  Meets Expectations  Does not meet 

Expectations (3pts)  (2pts)  Expectations 
(1-0pts) 

Units  Diagram  Most of the  The diagram lacks 

components are  components have  unit labels or labels 
represented with  accurately labeled  are inaccurate 
accurate units  units 

Vector Directions  Vectors in diagram  Vectors in diagrams  1 or more vectors in 

are pointing in the  are pointing in  diagram are not 
appropriate  appropriate  appropriately 
directions and  directions  oriented 
vectors with 
horizontal 
components have 
the angle above the 
horizontal denoted 

Vector Magnitudes  Vectors in diagrams  Vectors in diagram  1 or more vectors in 

have appropriate  have appropriate  diagram are not 
magnitudes and are  magnitudes  appropriately sized 
drawn to scale  

Extra Quantities  Included  Not included  ------------------------------ 

(ex. Velocity) 

Presentation  Every member  Every member  Not every member 

participated  participated  had a significant 
significantly in the  significantly in the  part in the 
presentation and  presentation and  presentation 
expressed  expressed 
knowledge in his or  knowledge in his or 
her part. The group  her part.  
demonstrated how 
to use Newton’s 
Laws to extrapolate 
real world data 
from their 
representation 
 
 

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