Go! Motion Modeling Velocity vs.

Position
Sarah Jarnagin
Overview of Lesson
Working in pairs/groups and with class discussion, students will gain a better understanding of
the relationship between the velocity curve, the position graph, and total distance travelled.
Common Core State Standards Grade Level Content
1. HSN.Q.A.1
Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multistep problems;
choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin
in graphs and data displays.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice
1. CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP5 Use appropriate tools strategically.
2. CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
Prerequisites
Students will need to be familiar with:
Go! Motion Sensor (not required but recommended)
Logger Lite (not required but recommended)
Integrals/Area under the curve
Mathematical conversions
Learning Objective
After an exploration activity and a class discussion, students will be able to understand:
The position graph is the integral of the velocity graph.
Total distance traveled does not equal position.
Real world problems can be modeled and solved with calculus.
Time Required
This lesson will take place in one 90-minute lesson.
Materials Required
Computer with Logger Lite installed
Go! Motion sensor
Tape (in case students want to model on the floor)

Instructional Lesson Plan

I.

II.

Essential Questions or Big Mathematical Ideas

How are position and velocity related?
How do they relate to total distance travelled?
Launch
Students will follow along as the teacher demonstrates how to use the Go! Motion
Sensor and the Logger Lite software. After the demonstration, students will break up
into pairs or groups and work through the first six graphs of the worksheet. They are
attempting to model the given position graphs using the velocity setting. Their goal is
to get a similar shape. They are to explain how they physically created each graph or
why they couldnt. Have students consider and discuss why they cannot create some
of the graphs (position cant be negative but velocity can) as well as why that is so.

III.

Plan
Once students have completed this section of the worksheet, they will create their
own model for the story depicted on the worksheet. Some students may have some difficulty
with finding the order of the towns. It wont cause much of an issue within their own group
data as every group will be different anyway, but it will cause issues during discussion
between other groups. They will continue to work through the questions on the worksheet
based off of the story, noting connections between graphs when prompted. Students will
most likely attempt to change their velocity graphs to position graphs in Logger Lite to
answer some of the prompts. This is acceptable, as some of the questions call for position;
however, students do need to estimate the area under the curve for other questions. Have
students compare the idea of total distance travelled and position by asking them what each
would be if I walked five miles to the store then walked back. Remind students that the cars
travel differently so they dont try to skip over the question about the second cars gas
stations.
IV.

Close
Once students have completed their worksheets, they will split up into different
groups and discuss with each other why their answers are different and the connections
between everything. After about 5-7 minutes of discussion, we will come together as a class
and discuss what they found. Main ideas to look for include: position is the integral of
velocity, total distance travelled includes the negative area under the curve and is not the
same as position, and different answers because of different units and velocities. If necessary,
emphasize the gas station questions and student reasoning behind their answers to solidify
the idea that total distance travelled is relevant and different than position.

Exit Slip or Assessment

Each group will turn in one copy of the worksheet for the teacher to grade. The summarizing
questions are at the end of the worksheet. This exit slip will let the teacher know if students truly
understand the connections or if they just went through the activity with the false notion that
position and total distance travelled are the same. The goal is for students to understand that
using the area under the curve is the common strategy for solving this real world problem and the
only difference between total distance travelled and position is the inclusion of the negative area.
Possible Extensions
Ask students who finish early if it is possible for two cars who are headed to the same destination
can cover the same distance, but be at different places at different times and why? If it is, have
them attempt to model it with the sensor.

Students Worksheets
Name

Date:

Distance and Velocity with Go!Motion

Directions:
Download Logger Lite and follow along when demonstrated to the class.
Note:
You can change the units of the data you collect if you go to Data>Column Options.
You can automatically scale the graph to a better viewing window by clicking Scale.
To trace the graph and have the points correspond with the table, click Examine.
To save the graph produced and collect more data to graph on top of the original, click Store
after completing your first data collection/graph.
You can change the axis by clicking on them or by clicking Options>Graph Options>Axes
Options. (We will be working with Velocity as our y-axis and Time as our x-axis)

1. Create graphs with the Go!Motion tool that closely resemble the graphs given. Can you recreate
all of them? Why or why not?

2. How does each graph relate to the path you physically took to recreate them? What does this
tell you?










3. Model the following scenario using the Go!Motion tool then answer the questions.


One Falls is 350 miles away from Four Seasons. Chains River is 150 miles away from One Falls and 75
miles away from Tree Trunk. If 1 unit is equivalent to 25 miles, create a scale model on the floor with
tape using your own measurement for 1 unit (i.e., 1 foot, 1 hand, 2 arms, etc.). To keep things from
getting too complicated, we will say that 1 second is equivalent to 1 hour.

You will be the car in this scenario where a different car requires a different person. Using two different
cars traveling at different speeds, model the scenario below.

Packing up and leaving from the town of One Falls, you travel toward Four Seasons for four hours before
realizing that you need to use the restroom. You decide to stop at the nearest town then travel another
three hours towards Four Seasons. There is a gorgeous view so you stop to take a picture. You are
meeting a friend in Four Seasons so you decide that a printed version of the picture you took would be a
lovely present. However, the only town with a picture developer is Chains River! You decide it is worth
the set back and head the rest of the way to Four Seasons after developing the picture.

1. Which car was closer to the destination after six hours and by how much? Why do you think this
is?
2. At what points are both cars in the same place? How can you tell?
3. If Car 1 gets 22 mpg and has a 5-gallon tank, at what points would you place gas stations so Car
1 doesnt run out of gas? Why?
4. If Car 2 also gets 22 mpg and has a 5-gallon tank, would you place gas stations at the same
points? Why or why not?
5. What do you notice based on these observations?
6. Share your findings with another group that has finished. Are your answers the same or
different? Why do you think that is?


Summarize:
1. What was the common strategy used to find the information from above?
2. What is the relationship between total distance travelled and position?
3. What factors forced your answers to be the same or different to other groups?