Science9-12+
Honors Physics Projectile Motion and Newton's Second Law Starter
By David B.
A short honors-level warm-up with three multi-step problems: projectile motion, Newton's Second Law with a free body diagram, and Newton's Second Law combined with kinematics to solve for acceleration. It is designed for a brief starter at the beginning of class, and students must show algebra before substituting numbers and label their free body diagrams.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use as a 15-20 minute starter at the start of a physics class, either individually or in pairs, before reviewing the solutions together.
- Discussion question: Why does the vertical component of the drone's velocity change at impact while the horizontal component stays constant, and how does that shape your answer for direction?
- Scaffold for struggling students: Have them first list known and unknown variables for each problem and sketch the free body diagram before writing any equations.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to generalize Problem 3 by deriving an expression for acceleration in terms of the net force and mass before plugging in values.
- Estimated time: about 20 minutes for all three problems, with an additional 5 minutes for a whole-class check of key steps.
Science9-12+
Honors Physics Projectile Motion and Newton's Second Law Starter
By David B.
A short honors-level warm-up with three multi-step problems: projectile motion, Newton's Second Law with a free body diagram, and Newton's Second Law combined with kinematics to solve for acceleration. It is designed for a brief starter at the beginning of class, and students must show algebra before substituting numbers and label their free body diagrams.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use as a 15-20 minute starter at the start of a physics class, either individually or in pairs, before reviewing the solutions together.
- Discussion question: Why does the vertical component of the drone's velocity change at impact while the horizontal component stays constant, and how does that shape your answer for direction?
- Scaffold for struggling students: Have them first list known and unknown variables for each problem and sketch the free body diagram before writing any equations.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to generalize Problem 3 by deriving an expression for acceleration in terms of the net force and mass before plugging in values.
- Estimated time: about 20 minutes for all three problems, with an additional 5 minutes for a whole-class check of key steps.