Moving Man Lab – Part One
Block:
Name:
Pre-lab questions:
1) What do you think “position” means? Try to use it in a sentence.
2) What do you think “velocity” means? Try to use it in a sentence.
3) What do you think “acceleration” means? Try to use it in a sentence.
Go to “The Moving Man” applet at the Phet web site:
http://phet.colorado.edu/new/simulations/sims.php?sim=The_Moving_Man
Procedure:
1. Click the “Reset All” button in the lower right of the applet window.
2. Change the position in the blue box to 4 m. Hit the play () button.
3. What happens to the man in the diagram? What do you see?
4. Click the “Reset All” button in the lower right of the applet window.
5. Change the velocity in the red box to 3 m/s. Hit the play () button.
6. What happens to the man in the diagram? What do you see?
7. Click the “Reset All” button in the lower right of the applet window.
8. Change the acceleration in the green box to 2 m/s2. Hit the play () button.
9. What happens to the man in the diagram? What do you see?
Questions:
1. What is a difference between “position” and “velocity”?
2. What is a difference between “velocity” and “acceleration”?
3. If somebody tells you what your position is, what kind of information are they telling you?
4. If somebody tells you what your velocity is, what kind of information are they telling you?
Moving Man Lab – Part Two
Block:
Name:
Pre-lab questions:
1) What does it mean if your position changes? Give an example of when your position
changes.
2) What does it mean if your velocity changes? Give an example of when your velocity
changes.
Go to “The Moving Man” applet at the Phet web site:
http://phet.colorado.edu/new/simulations/sims.php?sim=The_Moving_Man
Procedure:
1. Click the “Charts” tab at the top of the window.
2. Click the “Reset All” button in the lower right of the applet window.
3. Enter into the appropriate boxes: -10 meters, +5 m/s, -1 m/s2
4. Hit the play () button. Watch the motion of the man.
5. Click “Playback”. Click on the play () button. Watch the blue position graph.
6. Click on the rewind () and then the play () button. Watch the red velocity graph.
7. Click on the rewind () and then the play () button. Watch the green acceleration graph.
Questions:
1. Describe the motion of the man from beginning to end, in detail:
2. What is the shape of most of the blue position graph?
3. What is the shape of most of the red velocity graph?
4. What is the shape of most of the green acceleration graph?
5. When is the position (blue) zero? What is happening to the moving man when the graph
crosses the dotted line?
6. When is the velocity (red) zero? What is happening to the moving man when the graph
crosses the dotted line?