2D Motion Lab Physics 2010 Phet Simulations

Name:                                                                                             Motion in 2D Simulation

Go to  http://phet.colorado.edu/simulations/sims.php?sim=Motion_in_2D and click on Run Now.

1)      Once the simulation opens, click on ‘Show Both’ for Velocity and Acceleration at the top of the page.  Now click and drag the red ball around the screen.  Make 3 observations about the blue and green arrows (also called vectors) as you drag the ball around.

2)      Which color vector (arrow) represents velocity and which one represents acceleration?  How can you tell?

3) Try dragging the ball around and around in a circular path.  What do you notice about the lengths and directions of the blue and green vectors?  Describe their behavior in detail below.

4) Now move the ball at a slow constant speed across the screen.  What do you notice now about the vectors?  Explain why this happens.

5) What happens to the vectors when you jerk the ball rapidly back and forth across the screen?  Explain why this happens.

6) Now click on ‘Circular’ on the bottom.  Describe the motion of the ball and the behavior of the two vectors.  Is there a force on the ball?  How can you tell? Be detailed in your explanations.

7) Click on ‘Simple Harmonic’ on the bottom. Based on the behavior of the ball and the vectors, write a definition of Simple Harmonic Motion.