Concept Organizer

Unit A Concept Organizer

 

 

Module Descriptions

 

Module 1: Momentum and Impulse

 

In this module you will work with the relationship between Newton’s laws of motion and momentum. You will apply these concepts in the context of the design and functioning of modern vehicle safety devices. Specifically, you will be asked to apply your knowledge to answer the following questions:

• What do we really mean when we say “speed kills”?
  
  
• How is it possible to reduce injury and death when a vehicle occupant experiences a large change in momentum during a collision?

Module 2: The Conservation of Momentum in Isolated Systems

 

In this module you will learn about the conservation of momentum in a closed system. You will analyze elastic and inelastic collisions in both one and two dimensions. You will learn to discriminate between elastic and inelastic collisions using the conservation principles of momentum and kinetic energy. Specifically, you will be asked to apply your knowledge to answer the following questions:

• What happens to mass, velocity, and momentum in a linear collision between two objects?
  
  
• What happens to mass, velocity, and momentum in a non-linear collision between two objects?
  
  
• Is kinetic energy conserved in a collision between two objects?

Using the answers to these questions and component vector analysis, you will prepare a crash analysis for an inelastic two-dimensional collision.

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