Research digest: This paper uses Tracker to make projectile motion evidence-based. Students can separate horizontal and vertical motion from a real video, making the independence of components easier to justify.
Classroom use: Track a projectile video and compare x-time, y-time, vx-time, and vy-time graphs. Ask which graph shows constant velocity and which shows acceleration.
Paper: arXiv:1206.6489
Authors: Loo Kang Wee, Charles Chew, Giam Hwee Goh, Samuel Tan, Tat Leong Lee
Publication: Physics Education paper
Theme: Tracker for projectile motion
What teachers can take from this
This paper uses Tracker to make projectile motion evidence-based. Students can separate horizontal and vertical motion from a real video, making the independence of components easier to justify.
Use it tomorrow
Track a projectile video and compare x-time, y-time, vx-time, and vy-time graphs. Ask which graph shows constant velocity and which shows acceleration.
Pedagogical move
Make students explain why horizontal and vertical components can be analysed separately.
Good discussion prompts
- What evidence does the model, video, or activity make visible?
- Which variable should students change first, and what should they keep constant?
- What claim can students make from the evidence, and what limitation should they acknowledge?