Can your physical science classes describe what happens when two objects collide? Whether they are new to the study of kinetic energy or just brushing up on their skills, pupils can observe the outcome of a variety of collisions using a fun interactive. Users can change the masses and speeds of the objects, as well as their placement in the scenario.

Concepts

kinetic energy, motion, energy transfer, mass, speed, collisions

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Use the resource as a launchpoint for an NGSS-aligned design project with collisions as the focal point
• Pair pupils after the activity and have them compare their observations from the interactive

Classroom Considerations

• Great as an introduction to the concept of kinetic energy

Pros

• Displays the energy of each object, plus the energy of the system, in two different representations as the interactive plays
• Motion of the objects is very realistic, assuming no friction is present

Cons

• None