Free Fall

Free Fall
English

Topic

Physics

Topic Cluster

Newtonian Physics

Instructors

John Bookston
Math Teacher
Arlington High School
Arlington, MA
Member: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
Board Member: Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Massachusetts (ATMIM)

Introduction

This video lesson is an example of "teaching for understanding" in lieu of providing students with formulas for determining the height of a dropped (or projected) object at any time during its fall. The concept presented here of creating a chart to organize and analyze data collected in a simple experiment is broadly useful. During the classroom breaks in this video, students will enjoy timing objects in free fall and balls rolling down ramps as a way of learning how to carefully conduct experiments and analyze the results. The beauty of this lesson is the simplicity of using only the time it takes for an object dropped from a measured height to strike the ground. There are no math prerequisites for this lesson and no needed supplies, other than a blackboard and chalk. It can be completed in one 50-60-minute classroom period.

Instructor Biography

John has taught mathematics for 25 years at the high school level, in and around Boston. He has been published in the ATMIM newsletter and has presented the Free Fall lesson at an ATMIM conference.

Additional Online Resources

The Physics Classroom: Elephant and Feather - Free Fall
A lesson with animation on Free Fall from The Physics Classroom website.

NASA: Moonbase Alpha 
This is the site for NASA's new Moonbase Alpha Learning Game. The cornerstone of NASA's Learning Technology research and development is combining advanced educational technologies with NASA content, to produce learning tools that engage and inspire today’s tech-savvy students.