Science Methods II- Blog 1

 1. Main Question in Lab: How can we ensure that a race is exciting for two runners at different speeds?/How do we design this race?

In lab, we discussed the idea that a race is most exciting when the contestants finish around the same time. We then began to discuss how we can design a race to ensure that the racers would finish at about the same time. Time or distance head starts seem like the best way to do this. We separated into groups and began to make some calculations. In my group, we found the amount of time it takes Alyssa to walk 1 meter. From this, we were able to compare our calculations to those of another group's. We then were about to calculate that the other group needed a 0.5 second head start to get to the finish at the same time as Alyssa. 

2. Lecture

In lecture we discussed the Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts that were involved in our activity in lab. For SEPs, we made observations of motion, measured distance and time, calculated speed and headstarts, and used models. Our DCI that was included was motion and how it can be described, measured, and predicted. Finally, the crosscutting concept was patterns when it came to position to predict further location. We also discussed how it is important to have a standard unit of measurement to communicate in a way that is clear for everyone in the class.

3. Answer Questions About the Weekly Textbook Reading

What did you learn?

- I learned that when finding position, distance and direction are super important. Without knowing distance and direction, the object could be at any point in any direction.

What was most helpful?

-Learning about vector quantities was helpful because it can help me to teach students that sometimes you need other information for something to be accurate or understandable.

What do you need more information on?

-I would like more information on velocity and how it relates to speed.

What questions/concerns/comments do you have?

-What are some challenges or confusions that students may have when learning these concepts?