Grade Level

High School

Topics

Physics

Authors

Alyssa 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:

SP5

MA Science and Technology/Engineering (2016):

HS-PS2-10(MA)

NGSS (2013):

HS-PS2-1

Common Core Math/Language Arts Standards:

CSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9–10.10  

Tags

Proxima Centauri, exoplanet, light sail, light year, nanocraft, net force

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