Links ~ Questions ~ Product ~ Assessment
Project Scenario
You have been hired, along with many others, by the United
States Amateur Athletic Association to investigate the physics of a particular
sport. The research and investigation will be done with a partner allowing you to
work with others on the project. Once you are on a team then your team will be
given a sport to investigate.
In some sports, such as swimming and cross country running, the
winner of a competition is determined by who can move at the fastest average
speed. Other sports, such as basketball, figure skating, and ultimate
Frisbee, depend on accuracy, technique, and teamwork. You have learned
that forces are used to control motion by changing the speed or the direction
of an object's motion. These same forces are used to accelerate human bodies
or equipment in sports.
Task
The first thing you need to do is select your sport. Here is the list of sports to choose from. Just click on the links underneath your sport to find some information about it.
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Task Questions
Once you have selected your sport then you need to answer the following questions:
- What is the history of your sport?
- When and by who was it invented?
- Do people move around a lot?
- Do they move in straight lines or do they change directions?
- Is a ball or other object the focal point of the game?
- What two things must be measured to determine the average speed of an object? Design a way to measure the average speed of a moving person or object in this sport, such as the speed of a served tennis ball. Try it!
- Describe how this speed is controlled by the athlete.
- Review the definition of work. Try to identify and describe at least two examples of an action in which work is done in your sport. Remember, the force and the distance moved must be in the same direction.
- What information would you need to calculate the amount of work done?
- Find at least one example of each of Newton's laws of motion in your sport. Describe each example as clearly as possible.
Product
After you have investigated the questions, design a presentation for the class about the physics of your sport. Your presentation should answer the questions you investigate. Use actual demonstrations of the sport as much as possible to help make your explanations clear. You might consider videotaping some motions involved in your sport if the sport itself cannot be easily demonstrated in the classroom. If possible, dress as a person would dress to participate in the sport.
Assessment
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| Use of class time | No time wasted | Most of the time was on task except shut down early or started late | Spent half the class time not on task | Wasted almost all class time |
| References | All references are correctly recorded | The majority of references are correctly recorded | Half of the references are correctly recorded | Only some references are correctly recorded |
| Task Questions | ||||
| Task question accuracy | All task questions are answered accurately | Most of the task questions are answered accurately | Half of the task questions are answered accurately | Only some of the task questions are answered accurately |
| Performance | Great performance, included all equipment, and calculations are correct | Good performance, including all equipment, and calculations are correct | Average performance, some equipment, and calculations are correct | Attempted performance, no equipment, tried calculations |