Week 3

  This week in science methods II lab we addressed the big question - What affects a rider's speed down a slide? To investigate this, we worked in pairs to test aspects of a slide.

    My partner and I focused on friction and clothing. We first identified our question, decided independent and dependent variables, and gathered supplies. We used the stick as the slide and a marble as the rider. To test how friction affects speed, we placed three different fabrics on the slide surface and recorded the findings. The pink felt was 2.5 seconds, yellow linen was 1.3 seconds, and purple mesh was 1.25 seconds. After everyone completed their measurements and investigations, we cleaned up and each made a whiteboard summary and with our questions and graphs.

    In Thursday's lecture I learned about tracking motion, acceleration, velocity, and force. Prior to lecture, I thought that velocity and speed were the same but it actually also tells the direction. Forces have a magnitude and a direction. We learned what forces look like drawn onto a situation with arrows, which was very interesting. Overall the main takeaway I found was that objects accelerate in the direction of the unbalanced force acting on them,

    There was no reading this week.

    I could use more information on friction and why materials or surface matter.