Bungee Barbie

 

Teacher Instructions

Background Information:

    The primary purpose of this lab is to allow students to discover the relationship between force and the amount of time over which the force is applied. In other words, students should discover the concept of impulse. Impulse (Ft) equals change in momentum. Each cord effectively does the same thing; it causes the dolls momentum to change to zero. The differance is that some cords do this over a long time and thereby reduce the amount of force neccessary while other cords stop the doll in a very short time causing a large force.

Extensions / Post-lab:
  • Have groups share (and defend) their procedures and conclusions with the class. The class can discuss if they agree or disagree with the conclusions.
  • During the discussion bring out the terms of time and force. Hopefully students will notice that the force on Barbie is least when the time is the greatest.
  • Relate the relationship between force and time to how an air bag works. (The force of the impact is lessened because the time is lengthened.
  • Emphasize that each cord did essentially the same thing. They each stopped Barbie. Some stopped her quickly others stopped her more slowly. They each applied a force over a period of time. When the force was applied over a longer period of time the amount force of force was lessened.
  • Have the students give examples of other instances where force is lessened by increasing the time. (Examples: Catching a baseball, jumping off a table and bending you knees)

Notes:

    A Ken doll works well in addition to the Barbies. The additional mass of Ken may produce interesting results which can be compared with the results for Barbie.
    There are no unusual safety hazards for this lab.

Student Instructions for ULI

The Big Question:

    Which of the given materials would be best for bungee jumping?

Introduction:

    In recent years the the sport of Bungee jumping has become popular. While many may consider this new sport to be incredibly stupid, it is useful in demonstrating several physics concepts. In this experiment, you are going to use bungee jumping to study forces and their relationship with time. First you should understand the purpose of the cord is to stop the jumper. The ground will do the same thing, but most people seem to prefer the cords. In this investigation you are to go bungee jumping with Barbie and use her to decide what material would be the best for bungee jumping.

Equipment / Materials:

  • Computer
  • ULI
  • MacMotion software
  • Force sensor
  • Barbie or Ken Doll
  • Lab rods and supports
  • Various elastic and non-elastic cords

Computer Set Up

  • Connect the interface to the computer and connect the interface to a power supply.
  • Connect the Force Sensor to the interface (Use DIN 1 if using a Vernier ULI.)
    Turn on the interface and the computer.
  • Configure the computer to collect Force data only. For Macintosh open MacMotion and select "Force Data Only" under the "Collect" menu. or open Data Logger and open an experiment file for one force probe.
  • Set the data rate to a relatively high rate (minimum of 200 pts/second) because Barbie is stopped quickly. (For Macintosh select "Data Rate..." under the "Collect" menu.)
  • Calibrate the force sensor. A stored calibration will work because we will be comparing amounts of force. For Macintosh select "Calibrate" under the collect menu and follow the on screen instructions. - You will need a 500 gram (4.9 N) mass for the calibration.

Computer Use

    Click the "Start" button. The computer will begin collecting data.
    Drop Barbie as soon as the computer starts collecting data.

Set-Up:

    Set up the equipment as shown in figure 1.

Figure 1

Procedures:

    Produce as many different graphs as possible by dropping Barbie or Ken with different cords and materials.
    Describe your procedures on the student lab sheet.

Data / Observation:

    Sketch, describe, print or save you graphs for each "jump". Clearly indicate which cord or material was used. Also include information such as the amount of force and the time over which the force was applied.
    Record any relevant observations you saw during the jump.

Calculations:

    There are no calculations for this lab.

Conclusions:

    State which cord you believe to be best for bungie jumping. Support your choice with your data.

Questions:

    Record any questions that arose in the lab. Include any answers to the questions you may have found.

Student Instructions for LabPro with Computer

The Big Question:

Which of the given materials would be best for bungee jumping?

Introduction:

In recent years the the sport of Bungee jumping has become popular. While many may consider this new sport to be incredibly stupid, it is useful in demonstrating several physics concepts. In this experiment, you are going to use bungee jumping to study forces and their relationship with time. First you should understand the purpose of the cord is to stop the jumper. The ground will do the same thing, but most people seem to prefer the cords. In this investigation you are to go bungee jumping with Barbie and use her to decide what material would be the best for bungee jumping.

Equipment / Materials:

  • Computer
  • LabPro
  • LoggerPro software
  • Force sensor
  • Barbie or Ken Doll
  • Lab rods and supports
  • Various elastic and non-elastic cords

Computer Set Up

  • Connect the LabPro to the computer and to a power supply.
  • Connect the Force Sensor to the LabPro in channel 1. Turn on the interface and the computer.
  • Under the Experiment menu choose Show Sensors and select the student force sensor in channel 1.
  • Set the data rate to a relatively high rate (minimum of 200 pts/second) because Barbie is stopped quickly. Under the Experiment menu, select Data Collection... to adjust the data rate.
  • Calibrate the force sensor. A stored calibration will work because we will be comparing amounts of force. Under the Experiment menu choose Calibrate and the force sensor and follow the on screen instructions. You will need a 500 gram (4.9 N) mass for the calibration.

Computer Use

Click the Collect button. The computer will begin collecting data.
Drop Barbie as soon as the computer starts collecting data.

Set-Up:

Set up the equipment as shown in figure 1.

Figure 1

Procedures:

Produce as many different graphs as possible by dropping Barbie or Ken with different cords and materials.
Describe your procedures on the student lab sheet.

Data / Observation:

Sketch, describe, print or save you graphs for each "jump". Clearly indicate which cord or material was used. Also include information such as the amount of force and the time over which the force was applied.
Record any relevant observations you saw during the jump.

Calculations:

There are no calculations for this lab.

Conclusions:

State which cord you believe to be best for bungie jumping. Support your choice with your data.

Questions:

Record any questions that arose in the lab. Include any answers to the questions you may have found

Student Instructions for LabPro with Calculator

The Big Question:

Which of the given materials would be best for bungee jumping?

Introduction:

In recent years the the sport of Bungee jumping has become popular. While many may consider this new sport to be incredibly stupid, it is useful in demonstrating several physics concepts. In this experiment, you are going to use bungee jumping to study forces and their relationship with time. First you should understand the purpose of the cord is to stop the jumper. The ground will do the same thing, but most people seem to prefer the cords. In this investigation you are to go bungee jumping with Barbie and use her to decide what material would be the best for bungee jumping.

Equipment / Materials:

  • TI Graphing Calculator
  • LabPro or CBL2
  • Force sensor
  • Motion Detector
  • Barbie or Ken Doll
  • Various elastic and non-elastic cords

Calculator Set Up

  1. Connect the LabPro or CBL2 to the calculator and connect the interface to a power supply.
  2. Connect the Force Sensor to the interface into Channel 1. Turn on the calculator. Connect the Motion Detector to the DIG/SONIC1 port on the interface.
  3. Enter the DATAMATE program and press CLEAR to reset the program.
  4. Go into the SETUP menu to set the data collection rate. Set a high rate of collection (minimum of 200 pts/second) because Barbie is stopped quickly.
  5. Calibrate the force sensor. A stored calibration will work because we will be comparing amounts of force. Select calibrate on the SETUP menu to calibrate - You will need a 500 gram (4.9 N) mass for the calibration.

Calculator Use

Click the "Start" button. The sensors will begin collecting data. Drop Barbie as soon as the motion detector begins clicking.

Set-Up:

Set up the equipment as shown in figure 1. Make sure that Barbie will drop at least 0.5m from the motion detector.

Figure 1

Procedures:

Produce as many different graphs as possible by dropping Barbie or Ken with different cords and materials.
Describe your procedures on the student lab sheet.

Data / Observation:

Sketch, describe, print or save you graphs for each "jump". Clearly indicate which cord or material was used. Also include information such as the amount of force and the time over which the force was applied.
Record any relevant observations you saw during the jump.

Calculations:

There are no calculations for this lab.

Conclusions:

State which cord you believe to be best for bungie jumping. Support your choice with your data.

Questions:

Record any questions that arose in the lab. Include any answers to the questions you may have found.

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