Rubber Bands & Springs: POTENTIAL ENERGY (CONDITION) CONVERTED TO KINETIC ENERGY Materials For each group: D K'NEX pieces to build a Rubber Band Roller D #32 Rubber Bands D K'NEXprint for Rubber Band Roller Objectives Students wil = infer that an object's condition can determine its potential energy @ understand that Rubber Bands have potential energy when they are stretched design and perform an experiment with a Rubber Band Roller collect, organize, graph and analyze data from the experiment define inertia and infer that inertia must be overcome before an ‘object can move Introduce the Concept 1. Take out a Rubber Band from the K’NEX kit and hold it up for the students to see. Ask students if the Rubber Band has any energy. Some students might suggest that it has potential energy because of its height. Affirm this answer, and ask how you might increase the potential energy of the Rubber Band without raising it any higher. If the students do not suggest stretching the Rubber Band, gently pull on the Rubber Band to make it stretch. Students will soon identify that the Rubber Band has potential energy when itis stretched Ask:“Is there another way to add energy to the Rubber Band besides stretching it?” (someone may suggest twisting the Rubber Band) 2. Ask students to list objects or toys that use energy which is held in stretched or twisted Rubber Bands. Students might suggest Rubber Band powered road vehicles, airplanes or slingshots. Help students realize that each of these items produces motion when the Rubber Band is released. stretched Rubber Band stores energy, which is converted to kinetic energy as the Rubber Band returns to its original shape. You might compare Rubber Bands to springs, which also store energy. In earlier activities, students studied potential energy due to gravity (gravitational potential energy). Now students are investigating Activity 5 TOU CE UT Barty 9 a K°NEX Ta SET | Roller eee ad 15 ree mY Cd Butea) Lom ater have potential (stored) energy when they are Aired tog RRL) will use this stored Ce Rad Rubber Band UT lek floor. They.will experiment to find out how far the LCT eco for each twist of RC) Lg Let KENEK3 7 EdueationPCT) ey Concept (continued) potential energy due to the condition of a Rubber Band or Spring Motor {elastic potential energy). Both have energy because of their conditions (stretched, twisted, wound, etc.) Continued 3. Return to the students’ definitions of energy that they worked on in Activity |. Guide students to reinforce their definitions of potential energy. Their definitions should include references to: > stored energy > position D condition 4. Show students a K'NEX Rubber Band Roller. Let one student wind it up and run it across a table for the class to see. Explain that this Rubber Band Roller can store potential energy in its twisted Rubber Band. Then, the potential energy can be converted to kinetic energy as the Rubber Band Roller scoots along, Tell the class that each group will build a Rubber Band Roller, store potential energy in the Roller's Rubber Band, and then measure how far the Roller can travel using this energy. Build and Explore x Build a Roller. Divide the class into small groups, and have each group build a Rubber Band Roller according to the K’NEXprint instructions. A\ Teacher Note: As a safety measure, check Rubber Bands before they are distributed, or have each group bring their Roller to you for inspection before they use it for experimentation. + Examine how the Roller works. First, instruct students to hold the Rubber Band Roller in one hand and turn the blue Rod five times with the other hand. Ask them to notice what happens to the Rubber Band as they turn the blue Rod. (it becomes ‘twisted; it stretches within a small space) Have them hold the blue Rod in ae pice fr now me ‘Ask:“Have you changed the amount of potential energy in the 2. oe Rubber Band?”(yes) Instruct students to let the blue Rod go (and keep their fingers out of the way of the Rod!) and watch what happens. (The blue Rod spins as the Rubber Band unwinds without flying away and causing safety concerns.) Guide students to see that the Rubber Band Roller’s potential energy was converted to kinetic energy, the energy of motion, 38 KNeX: Education= Increase the Rubber Band Roller’s energy. Activity 5 ‘Ask students to rewind their Roller to increase the amount of potential energy in the Rubber Band Roller. They should wind their Rubber Band Continued Rollers more than five times to give the Rollers more potential energy than they had before. Discuss and write the following safety note on the chalkboard. /\\ Safety Note: BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERWIND THE ROLLER. Overwinding could distort the shape of the Roller, and cause the Rubber Band to snap and cause injury. If you notice any deterioration of your Rubber Band, notify your teacher immediately. Then, have students hold tightly onto the blue Rod, let go of the Rubber Band Roller with the other hand, and turn the Rubber Band Roller to a vertical position. The Rubber Band should unwind, causing the Roller to spin. Reinforce the idea that the Rubber Band stores energy, which is. converted to kinetic energy. x Let the Rubber Band Rollers run! Next, have students wind their Rubber Bands 5 or more times and then place their Rubber Band Rollers on a smooth floor in an open area. They should not place the Rubber Band Rollers too close together. When released, the Rubber Band Rollers will race across the floor. Students might notice that the Rubber Band does not always unwind completely. Guide them to see that the Rubber Band Roller still has some potential energy, but it does not have enough potential energy to move the Rubber Band Roller any further, due to the friction between the Roller and the floor. Ask: “Does the Roller have enough energy to spin the blue Rod when the roller is lifted off the floor?” (yes) "Did the Rubber Band unwind completely after the Roller was lifted off the floor? Why? Why not?” Allow the students to offer suggestions to answer this question but do not confirm any at this time. KeNex3 9 EdueationPri) ae) x Design an experiment. 7 Tell the students that they are going to design and perform an experiment to Continued determine how far the Rubber Band Roller travels for each twist of the Rubber Band. x Determine how to make your measurements. Tell students that they need to devise an accurate way to measure the distance the K’NEX Rubber Band Roller travels. Remind them that they have observed how the Rubber Band Roller works, so they should have some idea how to begin. They should consider: D what measuring tools to use; D on what surface to run the experiment; D how to mark the starting and ending positions each time they let the Roller run; and D whether to consider the front, back, or center of the Rubber Band Roller as the point that is placed on the starting line and is judged as the stopping position. ‘Once they have cooperated to plan their measuring method, have them write a short description of the method. Remind them to maintain a consistent method throughout all the trials. They should make sure that the Rubber Band is completely unwound before they start to wind it up for each subsequent trial. Prepare a Data Chart Have each group prepare a Data Chart like the one shown here. YOu Might sketch a chart on the chalkboard for them to copy. They should’also complete the Student Worksheet for Activity 5. CHART a ed — PC ory Size of Rubber Band used Distance ‘Trial #1 Traveled ; by Roller ‘Trial #2 (centimeters): Trial #3 Average Distance Traveled 40 nex Education3 Try a few practice runs. Have students try a few practice runs before they start measuring. Sometimes, the Rubber Band Roller may run in a curved path. Ask students to consider how they could measure the distance traveled by the Rubber Band Roller if its path is curved. Help them to see that if they measure from the starting point to the ending point of a curved path, the resulting measurement will be shorter than the real path. Suggest that students either repeat such trials and use only measurements of straight paths or develop a strategy to accurately measure curved paths. (e.g. If students are using a surface which can be inked, students can measure the curved distance traveled by inking the wheels and using a string to measure the actual curved path traveled. Students would then measure the length of the string with a meter stick.) Remind students to periodically check their Rubber Band Rollers to make sure they are in good working condition. They should also check the Rubber Band for signs of cracking, wear or deterioration. x= Run repeated trials. Students should run three trials for each experimental condition (three trials at 10 twists, three trials at 15 twists, etc.). Explain that the distance traveled by the Rubber Band Roller for a set number of turns may vary. Reasons for this might include variations in the way the Rubber Band was twisted, the way the Rubber Band Roller was released, and the surface that the Roller traveled across. Students should review the data for each set of three trials before they proceed. If one of the measurements seems out of place, the students should review their procedures and consider an additional trial Activity 5 Continuedtity LY 1 Test to find out the Rubber Band Roller’s inertia. Continued Have the students twist the Rubber Band three times and let the Roller go. What happens? (They should notice that the Roller does not move.) Explain to students, using examples, how objects at rest are difficult to move and easier to keep moving. Have one or ‘two students push their desks until they move and direct them to keep it sliding after it begins to move. Have the students describe their efforts and which was easier~ getting the desk to move or keeping it moving. (keeping it moving) Have students suggest other examples where it requires more effort to start something moving that to keep it moving. (pushing a full wheelbarrow, the pit crew pushing a racing car) Relate these discussions to Newton’ first Law of Motion and Inertia. Inertia is the tendency of something at rest to remain at rest and of something in motion to stay in motion. For our study at this point, we are concerned about the first portion of this simplified definition. The Roller will remain at rest until the Rubber Band has stored enough potential energy to overcome its inertia when itis released on the floor. In their experiments, the force to make the Rubber Band Roller move was provided by a Rubber Band, Enough force must be applied to overcome inertia, the tendency of an object to remain at rest. The amount of inertia an object has is related to its mass. For example, brick has more inertia than an empty shoe box. Help students apply these ideas to the motion of their Rubber Band Rollers. Tell them that some of the c potential energy of the Rubber Band is used to GW overcome the inertia of the Rubber Band Roller and some is used to keep it moving. Ask the students to use their Rubber Band Roller to find ‘out how many turns of the Rubber Band are required to overcome the inertia of the Roller- to get the Roller to begin to move. This number should be recorded on the Data Chart (page 40) as the quantity Number of twists to overcome inertia _— It usually takes about two to six turns of the Rubber Band to overcome the inertia of the K’NEX Rubber Band Roller, depending upon the strength of the Rubber Band and the 42 KNeX: surface the Roller moves across EducationAnalyze the data Activity 5 Once all the measurements have been recorded, guide students to A analyze their data and use them to make predictions. First, show pet] them how to determine how far the Rubber Band Roller moves for each twist of the Rubber Band. This value will also be called R. Distance traveled per twist of _ Total Distance traveled by Rubber Band Roller (D) the Rubber Band (R) Number of twists of the Rubber Band (T) To calculate R, advise students to use their average values for the distance traveled by the Rubber Band Roller. When selecting values to use for the number of twists of the Rubber Band, caution students that they cannot just use the number of twists listed at the headings of their charts (10, 15, 20). First they need to account for inertia. Remind them that if the Rubber Band was twisted 10 times, some of those twists started the Rubber Band Roller (overcame inertia), and the rest allowed the Roller to cover the distance. Therefore, they must subtract I, the number of twists to ‘overcome inertia, from the number of twists recorded on the chart: where R = distance traveled per twist of the Rubber Band; D = total distance traveled; T = total number of twists; and I = the number of twists used to overcome inertia, D then R = T-1 x Predict the distance under new conditions. Ask:"Now that you know how far the Rubber Band Roller will travel for each twist of the Rubber Band, how far will the Rubber Band Roller travel if the Rubber Band is twisted 25 times?” sit ieee eS Students should subtract from 25 the number of twists needed to ? overcome inertia. The result should be multiplied by R, the average y ¢ number of centimeters per twist (see the Sample Calgulation on "3 page 44). eo x Test your prediction. Have students measure how far the Rubber Band Roller travels, when the Rubber Band is twisted 25 times. The distance should be measured three times to calculate an average value. Then, ask students to compare the calculated value to the measured value. Kener 43 EducationActivity 5: Sample Calculation to predict distance traveled by a por] Rubber Band Roller twisted 25 times R= D Given: T-1I R= 23.3 cmitwist 1 = 6 twists T= 25 twists D= unknown 23.3cmitwist = D 25-6 twists B3cm = D twist 19 twists B.3cmitwist (19 twists) = D 44 cm=D COLLECTED Number of Tw Cra 25 Distance Traveled _ Trial #1 391.1 past the end of Trial #2 406.4 the ramp (em): Wial #3 408.9 Average Distance Traveled 402.1 44icNexActivity 5 Continued Sample Data Number of Twists Sed Distance Traveled Trial #! past theend of — Trial #2 the ramp (em): Trial #3 Average Distance Traveled Number of twists to overcome inertia = 6 Sample Calculation to determine R (centimeters/twist) _ Distance traveled by Rubber Band Roller "Number of twists of the Rubber Band minus twists to overcome inertia For 10 twists: 10 twists - 6 twists to overcome inertia = 4 twists for motion Teacher’s Note LOLsien = SAcniewet Notice that the R values 10 - 6 twists decrease the more the Rubber Band is twisted. The observation For 15 twists: is consistent with the elastic properties of Rubber Bands. Some elastic materials (springs) react more consistently to 15 twists - 6 twists to overcome inertia = 9 twists for motion 2134em 23.7 em/twist R= 15 — 6 twists stretching or compression. A list of R values for a spring would For 20 twists: show very similar values (Hooke's Law). Rubber Bands do not follow Hooke's Law as they 20 twists - 6 twists to overcome inertia = 14 twists for motion p= Osa = 8 emiewist tend to store more energy when 20 — 6 twists the twisting begins and when the Rubber Band is twisted near its = (254 + 23.7 + 20.8) cmiewist. _ 23.3 em/ewist elastic limit (breaking point) Average = R avg = 3 Kener 4s EducationActivity 5 Math Activity (Upper Level) ; x Compare your prediction to your results. Continued ‘You might have the students calculate the percentage difference between the two values by subtracting the higher value from the lower value, dividing by the higher value, and multiplying by 100. » Progress review. Ask students to summarize what they have done. (they have collected data, organized it in a chart, analyzed the data, and then used it to make and test a prediction) Ask students if they can think of another method scientists use to analyze data. (plot the data on a graph) 46 Kinex EducationGraph the data Activity 5: Explain to the students that an experiment is a way to study cause and . effect. Something happens which in turn causes something else to happen. In Continued this case, the independent variable in the experiment is changed (number of twists) and the dependent variable is measured as distance traveled. Cause: Number of twists of the Rubber Band Effect: Distance traveled by Roller When plotting data on a graph, the quantity that is changed is plotted along the X-axis, and the quantity that is measured is plotted on the Y-axis. Tell the students to draw two axes on a sheet of graph paper. Ask them how to label the axes. (X-axis: Number of twists: Y-axis: Distance traveled in centimeters) Have students plot their data and draw a best fit line through the points. You may have to explain to them that the line should not be drawn from point to point (see the Sample Graph on page 48). A graph often reveals information that is not readily apparent from simply looking at the data in a chart. For example, show students how the extrapolated section of the line on the Sample Graph intersects the X-axis near 5. Ask:“What is the significance of the point where the line intersects the x-axis?” (with less than 6 twists, inertia is not yet overcome) Explain that this number shows that when the Rubber Band is twisted 5 times, the Rubber Band Roller will move zero centimeters, because this is less than the number needed to overcome inertia. J Students should find that their experimentally measured value and f their graph value for I are similar Teacher Note: The Roller will not move until inertia is overcome. This can usually be accomplished with 2 to 6 twists of the Rubber Band. The choice of Rubber Bands will influence this value, as will the size of the vehicle. Nex 47 EducationPy ae Continued 500 450 400 350 300 250 200 Distance Traveled (centimeters) 150 100 50 48 K'Nex Sample Graph Teacher Note: Icis entirely possible that a student's graph will show a curved line. Do not force a straight line through the points. 10 Is 20 25 Number of Twists of the Rubber BandWrap Up Conclude the lesson by reminding students that a valid scientific experiment is reproducible, which means that any person performing the same experiment with the same equipment should get similar results. ‘Ask each group to report the value they obtained for R, the distance traveled per twist. Write these numbers on the chalkboard for comparison. (These numbers can only be fairly compared if each group used the same K’NEX Rubber Band Roller and the same size Rubber Band.) Analyze how similar or different the numbers are. Is any result significantly different from the rest? Ask students to consider why differences might occur. Possible suggestions might include: Dsome Rubber Bands may be slightly larger than others. ‘Dome Rubber Bands may be more worn than others ‘Dithe experimental techniques may have been slightly different for each group D ithe K’NEX Rubber Band Rollers may have been built with slight differences Activity 5 Continued Kenen49 EducationActivity L ¥ Student Worksheet for Activity 5 Record the distance measurements on a Data Chart. Continued Calculate the averages and record them on the Chart. Experiment to determine how many twists of the Rubber Band are required to overcome the inertia of the Roller. Record the value. 4. Calculate R from the formula, R = Distance traveled/Number of ‘twists. Remember to use only the number of twists used for motion {total twists minus twists for inertia) for the denominator. D THe ¢ 5.(a) Predict how far the Roller will travel if the Rubber Band is wound 25 times; 30 times; 40 times. Use the formula: R = (b) Measure this distance and compare it to the predicted value. Graph the data. Remember to label the axes appropriately. Where does the line meet the X-axis when it is extrapolated? 8. What is important about the place where the line begins to move above the X-axis? What does the change in the line show? 9. How does the number of twists required to overcome inertia determined from the graph compare to the value measured earlier? 50K Nex EducationAssessment rt TT) ay AcTIVITY 5 Pe |. How is potential energy stored in the Rubber Band Roller? 2. Why does the Rubber Band have to be twisted several times before the Roller starts to move? 3. Student A has collected the following data. DNumber of twists to overcome inertia = 6 ‘D Distance traveled for 15 twists of the Rubber Band = 60 cm a. Calculate how far the Rubber Band Roller travels for each twist of the Rubber Band. b. How many times should the Rubber Band be twisted to move the Rubber Band Roller a distance of 30 cm? Show your calculations.Ty ae Extension | Have students choose one of the variables listed below and design Continued an experiment to test how far a K'NEX Rubber Band Roller travels S under those conditions. 4) D smooth floor vs. carpet or sidewalk D large vs. small Rubber Band D wheels (white Connectors) with Tires vs. without Tires D fat surface vs.a ramp D short vs. long winding Rod D cold Rubber Band vs. room temperature Rubber Band Remind students to make every effort to keep other variables from affecting the results of their experiments. Have students: D present complete, clear procedures present data in’an organized format D analyze the results of their experiments D suggest possible sources of error ‘D present their findings to the class Extension 2 Conduct a discussion with students regarding the varying condition of the Rubber Band due to wear and tear, and temperature and the implications of these on performance. (Students may hypothesize that in dry, hot conditions, there will be less air resistance and the band will have more elasticity than in cold conditions. Thus, in dry, hot conditions, it will perform better and the vehicle will travel a greater distance.) Since it is impossible to control the weather, consider having students conduct experiments with Rubber Bands placed in the refrigerator or freezer to prove or disprove their hypotheses.