Welcome to the Interactive Collision Laboratory!

Have you ever seen two cars crash in a movie, or dropped something on the floor and watched it bounce? Collisions happen all around us — in sports, traffic, and even at home! When two objects crash in to each other, they push with a force. But what makes that force stronger or weaker?

In this activity, you’ll become a scientist and explore what happens during a collision using a digital simulation (like the one in the preview below). You’ll create your own experiments, test your ideas, and explore what factors influence the peak force that occurs during a crash.

PREVIEW

Let's get started by creating our research questions!

Today's Roadmap

  1. First, you will write a research question and make a hypothesis for it.
  2. Next, you will design an experiment by choosing your variables and steps.
  3. Then, you will explore the simulation to see how it works.
  4. You will collect data using the simulation.
  5. Finally, you will analyze your data and write a conclusion.
  6. Once you've finished, you can download a complete Lab Report containing all your work.

Step 1: Research Questions & Hypotheses

Please create at least two research questions and a hypothesis for each. A hypothesis is a testable prediction about what you think will happen. Click "Save" for each entry.

Step 2: Experiment Design

Based on your research questions, design an experiment for each one below. Click "Save" for each variable entry.

Step 3: Simulation Intro

Before collecting data, take some time to get familiar with the simulation. Try different settings and run a few trials to see how it works. This is just an exploration phase.

Step 4: Data Collection

Now you are ready to conduct your experiment! Use the simulation according to your design, run at least two trials for each research question, and record the results in the table below. When you are finished, proceed to the Data Analysis step.

Step 5: Data Analysis

Great work. Now it's time to make sense of the data you've collected. Below is a copy of the data table you generated.

Analysis Questions (Please answer questions 1 through 4 in order. You must answer all questions to download the Lab Report.)

1. How does the peak force change when the mass (m) increases?