Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Physics Speed and Acceleration

Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Physics
Speed and Acceleration

Spring 2007
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Photo credit (top left): Steve Ford Elliott

Photo credit (bottom right): Philip MacKenzie
Teacher notes
Students could be asked why the non-SI ‘mph’ is the most common unit used
when talking generally about speed. Relevant points include the UK’s
historical use of miles as the unit of distance, and the use of mph on speed
limits.
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Photo credit: Jerry Pank
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Photo credit: Crispin Proctor
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Teacher notes
This activity can be used as an introduction to speed as a function of distance
and time, and could lead on to a discussion about different ways to collect and
represent scientific data.
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Teacher notes
This animated graph is the same as the one shown at the end of the activity
on the previous slide, and introduces the idea that the gradient of distance–
time graphs can provide qualitative information about the speed of an object.
Students should be made aware that non-uniform (variable) speed indicates
the object is accelerating or decelerating.
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Teacher notes
This multiple-choice quiz could be used as a plenary activity to assess
students’ understanding of calculating the speed from the gradient of a
distance–time graph.
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Teacher notes
This graphing resource enables you to create your own distance–time graphs
by dragging the points B–F to positions of your own choosing. Clicking the line
between two points shows the gradient of the line, and therefore the speed of
the object. The gradient updates automatically if you drag either of the two
points.
Students could be asked to calculate the gradient at different points on the

graph, before being shown the actual value, or could be asked to simply
describe the journey of the object from A to F in qualitative terms.
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Photo credit (top left): Mike Vam

Photo credit (bottom right): Pete Smith
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Photo credit: Edu Wagtelenberg
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Photo credit: © 2007 Jupiterimages Corporation
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Teacher notes
This is an animated speed–time graph based on the data from the activity on
slide 12. It introduces the idea that the gradient of speed–time graphs can
provide qualitative information about the acceleration of an object. Students
should be made aware that deceleration is essentially negative acceleration.
Students could also be made aware that a curved gradient indicates that the
object is accelerating or decelerating at a non-uniform (variable) rate.
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Teacher notes
students’ understanding of calculating the acceleration from the
gradient of a speed–time graph.
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Teacher notes
This six-part animated sequence provides a step-by-step guide to how the
distance travelled by an object can be calculated from the area underneath its
speed–time graph.
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Teacher notes
This graphing resource enables you to create your own speed–time graphs by
dragging the points B–F to positions of your own choosing. Clicking the line
between two points shows the gradient of the line, and therefore the
acceleration of the object. The gradient updates automatically if you drag
either of the two points. Clicking the “shade” button highlights the area
underneath the graph, and clicking the “distance” button shows the distance
travelled by the object. This value updates automatically if you drag a point on
the graph.
Students could be asked to calculate the gradient at different points on the

graph and the total distance travelled, before being shown the actual values,
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Teacher notes
This illustration – a modern reworking of the Aesop’s fable ‘The Hare and The
Tortoise’ – contains several discussion points relating to speed and safety,
including:
• speed limits and how these vary depending on the type of road (country
lane, A road, motorway, etc) and type of environment (rural, urban, etc)
• the use of speed cameras/police speed patrols
• stopping distances and factors that affect them
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Teacher notes
See the ‘Energy and Movement’ and ‘Momentum’ presentations for more
information about the speed and safety of a vehicle in terms of kinetic energy,
momentum and force.
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Teacher notes
This animated graph shows the stopping distances of a car travelling at
different speeds. Roll over the individual bars to show the separate thinking
and braking distances. Data from www.highwaycode.gov.uk.
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Teacher notes
Appropriately coloured voting cards could be used with this classification
activity to increase class participation.
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Teacher notes
Students could research whether there is any evidence to support the claims
made by the people in this activity.
More information on speed cameras is available at

http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_rdsafety/documents/divisionhomepag
e/030766.hcsp.
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Teacher notes
This labelling activity could be used as a plenary activity to assess students’
understanding of the qualitative information provided by the gradient of a
distance–time graph.
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Teacher notes
This labelling activity could be used as a plenary activity to assess students’
understanding of the qualitative information provided by the gradient of a
speed–time graph.
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Teacher notes
students’ understanding of speed and acceleration. The questions can be
skipped through without answering by clicking “next”. Students could be
asked to complete the questions in their books and the activity could be
concluded by the completion on the IWB.
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Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Physics Speed and Acceleration

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Boardworks GCSE Additional Science: Physics

Speed and Acceleration