Rubber Band Trajectory Project

Important Guidelines and Information:

Rubber Band Trajectory Project - this is an in-class group project with a partner poster. The goal of the project is to enable you with the tools and experience to be successful conducting your own science project. Topic focuses are: fair test, experiment procedures, trials, data collection, data analysis, data representation, and scientific method. The question we will be attempting to answer as a class is: How does the angle affect the distance a rubber band will travel? At the end of the project, every student partner pair must turn in a poster display that outlines the scientific method conducted in the class project. The poster will be an example of what your 8th Grade Science Project display will look like. The poster will be completed at home.

Rubber Band Trajectory Project Sequence:

• Project Proposal
  • Question: How does the angle affect the distance a rubber band will travel?
  • Hypothesis
  • Define Variables
• Background Research
  • Reliable Internet Sites
• Materials and Procedures
• Experimentation
  • 10 trials for each trajectory angle
• Using MS Excel to process data and create graphs
• Write your Data Analysis and Conclusion
• Assemble Notebook in MS Word
• Project Display using MS PowerPoint

 

Experiment:

• SAFETY FIRST!!!
  • Be sure to NEVER launch a rubber band in the direction of another student.
  • When experimenting, wear goggles to protect your eyes.
  • Launch rubber bands ONLY when conducting your experiment.
• Location
  • Our classroom is too small so we will be heading out to perform this experiment.
    • Cafeteria
    • Auditorium
  • Be sure to follow all procedures!
• Time to complete experiment
• Most groups will finish within an hour of experimentation.
• Be sure your group stays focused or you will be unable to finish.

Assignment Documents:

Please NOTE that page colors have changed for Ms. Rogers' class.

Rubber Band Project Proposal (Pink page in packet)

Rubber Band Trajectory Project Background Research (Green page in packet)

Rubber Band Materials, Procedures, and Data Collection (White page in packet)

Rubber Band Data Analysis Questions (Yellow page in packet)

Rubber Band Excel Spreadsheet (DOWNLOAD to period folder and/or flashdrive)

Rubber Band Notebook Template (DOWNLOAD to period folder and/or flashdrive)

Rubber Band Display Template (DOWNLOAD to period folder and/or flashdrive)

Photos:

Rubber Band Launcher Photo

For your graph in Excel: rb1.jpg and rb2.jpg

Experiment photos:

rb_experiment1.jpg rb_experiment2.jpg rb_experiment3.jpg rb_experiment4.jpg

rb_experiment5.jpg rb_experiment6.jpg

Research Links:

Essential Vocabulary:

• Trajectory
• Projectile
• Distance
• Motion
• Inertia

Website Links:

The Physics Classroom Part 1

The Physics Classroom Part 2

Science World - Trajectory

Projectile Motion Java Applet

Ballistic Simulator

 

 

Site Created by: Sean Gardinier