Grade LevelHigh School |
TopicsPhysics |
AuthorsAlyssa Mocharnuk, Lehman Garrison |
Lesson Summary
This lesson introduces acceleration of an object by a constant unbalanced force. Students should be thinking about how speed changes with time and that a moving object will not come to rest when no force acts upon it. The Bite describes how astronomers plan to accelerate tiny spacecraft with lasers to study distant exoplanets. Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
- determine acceleration using Newton’s second law.
- apply an understanding of acceleration to describe the motion of an object through motion graphs, free body diagrams, and calculations.
- apply one dimensional kinematics concepts to determine applied forces.
- explain how scientists will send sensors to nearby stars to study exoplanets.
Standards
Science and Engineering Practices:
SP5MA Science and Technology/Engineering (2016):
HS-PS2-10(MA)NGSS (2013):
HS-PS2-1Common Core Math/Language Arts Standards:
CSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9–10.10Tags
Proxima Centauri, exoplanet, light sail, light year, nanocraft, net forceEducator SoundBites
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