Bowling Balls, Nerf Blasters, and a Car

Concluding three units on motion and forces including many fun labs including bowling balls, nerf blasters, and more, EC students conducted a real-world investigation to calculate the unknown mass of a car (Scion XB). To solve this task students took what they have learned about motion - constant velocity and constant acceleration - and made measurements of the car’s position as a function of time. Students also used several bathroom scales to measure the forces involved in producing the desired motion. They then applied Newton’s laws of motion along with motion equations to ultimately calculate the unknown mass of the car which they then compared it to the actual mass.