Recommended Grade Levels:  9-12 (ages 15-18)

 

Run Time:  40-70 minutes

 

Story Line:  A two car crash has occurred.  Students must assist the Highway Patrol in reconstructing the crash using forensics, physics, geometry, trigonometry and critical thinking.  Students will measure, calculate, interview witnesses and determine who caused the crash that killed three and sent two people to the hospital. 

 

Technical:  This is a Flash game, so you will need the Puffin Academy Browser if you are going to play this game on a mobile device.   We also recommend having ear buds to play the activity in class or in public areas.  Speakers are fine for home use. 

 

Screen Shots:

            

      

 

Video: 

 

Educational Standards:  

 High School Physical Science

HS-PS2-1 Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.

[Clarification Statement: Examples of data could include tables or graphs of position or velocity as a function of time for objects subject to a net unbalanced force, such as a falling object, an object rolling down a ramp, or a moving object being pulled by a constant force.]

[Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to one-dimensional motion and to macroscopic objects moving at non-relativistic speeds.]

High School Engineering, Technology, and the Applications of Science

HS-ETS1-4 Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.

High School Math

HSF-BF.A.1 Write a function that describes a relationship between two quantities.

HSF-BF.A.2 Write arithmetic and geometric sequences both recursively and with an explicit formula, use them to model situations, and translate between the two forms.

HSG-MG.A.3 Apply geometric methods to solve design problems

HSN-VM.A.3 (+) Solve problems involving velocity and other quantities that can be represented by vectors.

High School ELA

RST.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.

RST.9-10.3 Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text.

RST.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 9–10 texts and topics.

RST.9-10.7 Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.

RST.11-12.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.

RST.11-12.3 Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks; analyze the specific results based on explanations in the text.

RST.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 11–12 texts and topics.

RST.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

RST.11-12.8 Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information.

RST.11-12.9 Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible.

Ohio Science Standards – Benchmarks and Indicators

Physical Sciences

Grade 9:

1. Explain how an object's kinetic energy depends on its mass and its speed (KE=½mv2).
2. Demonstrate that motion is a measurable quantity that depends on the observer's frame of reference and describe the object's motion in terms of position, velocity, acceleration and time.
3. Demonstrate that any object does not accelerate (remains at rest or maintains a constant speed and direction of motion) unless an unbalanced (net) force acts on it.
4. Demonstrate the ways in which frictional forces constrain the motion of objects (e.g., a car traveling around a curve, a block on an inclined plane, a person running, an airplane in flight).

Grade 12:

1. Use and apply the laws of motion to analyze, describe and predict the effects of forces on the motions of objects mathematically.

Grade 9:

1. Distinguish between observations and inferences given a scientific situation.
2. Construct, interpret and apply physical and conceptual models that represent or explain systems, objects, events or concepts.
3. Decide what degree of precision based on the data is adequate and round off the results of calculator operations to the proper number of significant figures to reasonably reflect those of the inputs.
4. Develop oral and written presentations using clear language, accurate data, appropriate graphs, tables, maps and available technology.
5. Draw logical conclusions based on scientific knowledge and evidence from investigations.

Grade 10:

1. Present scientific findings using clear language, accurate data, appropriate graphs, tables, maps and available technology.
2. Use mathematical models to predict and analyze natural phenomena.
3. Draw conclusions from inquiries based on scientific knowledge and principles, the use of logic and evidence (data) from investigations.

Grade 11:

1. Design and carry out scientific inquiry (investigation), communicate and critique results through peer review.
2. Explain why the methods of an investigation are based on the questions being asked.
3. Summarize data and construct a reasonable argument based on those data and other known information.

Grade 9:

1. Investigate how the knowledge, skills and interests learned in science classes apply to the careers students plan to pursue.

Grade 11:

1. Explain how natural and human-induced hazards present the need for humans to assess potential danger and risk. Many changes in the environment designed by humans bring benefits to society as well as cause risks.
2. Describe costs and trade-offs of various hazards – ranging from those with minor risk to a few people, to major catastrophes with major risk to many people. The scale of events and the accuracy with which scientists and engineers can (and cannot) predict events are important considerations.
3. Research the role of science and technology in careers that students plan to pursue.

Physical Sciences

Grade 9:

1. Number, Number Sense - Demonstrate fluency in computations using real numbers.
2. Measurement – Solve problems involving unit conversion for situations involving distances, areas, volumes and rates within the same measurement system.

Grade 10:

Patterns, Functions and Algebra:

1. Solve equations and formulas for a specific variable.
2. Solve simple linear and nonlinear equations and inequalities having square roots and coefficients and solutions.
3. Solve real-world problems that can be modeled using linear, quadratic, exponential or square root functions.
4. Solve real-world problems that can be modeled, using system of linear equations and inequalities.

Grade 11:

1. Patterns, Functions and Algebra – Solve equations involving radical expressions and complex roots.

Grade 12:

1. Measurement – Solve problems involving derived measurements; e.g., acceleration and pressure.

Science as Inquiry:

• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
• Understandings about scientific inquiry

Physical Science:

• Motions and Forces

Science and Technology:

• Understandings about science and technology

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives:

• Natural and human-induced hazards
• Science and technology in local, national, and global challenges

History and Nature of Science:

• Science as a human endeavor
• Nature of scientific knowledge

National Mathematics from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Grades 9-12:

Compute fluently and make reasonable estimates:

• Develop fluency in operations with real numbers, vectors, and matrices, using mental computation or paper-and-pencil calculations for simple cases and technology for more complicated cases.
• Judge the reasonableness of numerical computations and their results.