Contextualization
In the world of Physics, we understand Uniformly Varied Movement (UV) as the type where an object's speed changes constantly over time. In simple terms, it’s like when you’re in a car and you press the accelerator at a constant pace. With every second that passes, the car's speed increases at a set value, which could be 10, 20 or 30 km/h per second, for example.
Now, you might be wondering: where does this apply to real life? Well, this concept is the foundation to understand how objects move in the world around us. Whether it’s a car accelerating on the road, a skydiver jumping out of a plane or even the pull of gravity that keeps our feet firmly planted on the ground, these are all examples of UV.
But let’s go beyond the common examples we can think of. UV is also essential to understanding issues such as rocket physics, aircraft re-entering the atmosphere and the movement of electrons in a particle accelerator. In other words, it is a fundamental concept for those seeking to understand the physics that moves the universe.
To further your studies on UV, its theoretical concepts and applications, we suggest the following reliable sources:
- Fundamentos da Física 1: Mecânica - Halliday, Resnick, Walker - This book is a widely recognized reference in Physics teaching.
- Só Física - Movimento Uniformemente Variado - A Brazilian website dedicated to teaching Physics that has a whole section dedicated to UV, with didactic explanations and exercises.
- YouTube - Canal Ciência Todo Dia - This video explains UV in a playful and engaging way, making it easier to understand the concepts.
Practical Activity
Activity title: Balloon Powered Car Race
Project objective:
The objective of this project is to build a “balloon car,” using easily accessible materials and connecting the theory of UV with practice. Students should be able to see how the UV subject is applied in the real world and understand how different variables affect the car’s final speed, acceleration and distance traveled.
The group, composed of 3 to 5 students, should collaborate in all stages, from the construction of the car to the analysis of the results.
Detailed description of the project:
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Building the car: The students will design and build their own balloon car using the materials indicated. While the creativity of the design is an important factor for engagement, the efficiency will also be tested.
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Experiment: After it's built, they should conduct a series of experiments in which they inflate the balloon and let the car move for a set distance, measuring how long it takes to get there.
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Analysis of the results: Students should use the data collected to calculate the initial speed, final speed, acceleration and distance traveled by the car.
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Final report: Students will write a report contextualizing the project, describing the construction and experiment process, analyzing the results and concluding on the concepts learned.
Necessary materials:
- Balloons;
- Popsicle sticks or straws;
- Adhesive tape;
- Bottle caps;
- Paper clip;
- Ruler, stopwatch and scale;
- Writing materials for notes.
Detailed step-by-step to carry out the activity:
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Design and build the car: Use the materials provided to design and build the car. The only requirement is that the car is powered by the force of air coming out of the balloon. The paper clip should be used to block the air from exiting the balloon, allowing you to control the exact moment the car is released.
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Run the experiment: Inflate the balloon (without letting the air out), place the car on a flat, smooth surface and release the paper clip. Measure the time it takes for the car to travel a set distance (for example, 5 meters). Repeat this experiment at least five times to get an average time.
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Analyze the results: Using UV equations, calculate the initial speed, final speed, acceleration and distance traveled by the car. Reflect on how the variables are interrelated.
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Write the final report: The report should contain an introduction contextualizing the project and presenting its objectives, description of the construction and experiment process, analysis of the results (including calculations and graphs) and the conclusion.
Project deliverables:
1. Balloon car: Presentation of the built car.
2. Experiment data: Spreadsheet or notebook with the times measured and the calculations made.
3. Final report: A report containing the introduction, description of the experiment, analysis of the results and conclusion.
In this report, students should apply the knowledge acquired on UV, discussing how the concepts apply to the balloon car experiment. They should detail the methodology of the experiment, present the results obtained in tables and/or graphs and analyze such data in light of UV. Finally, the conclusion should summarize the work, mentioning what was learned and how this project contributed to understanding UV.
The duration of the project is one month. This should be enough time to acquire materials, build the car, run the experiment and write the final report.
