Graph That Motion - Directions

 

How it Works:

Using the Graph That Motion Concept Builder is quite simple. You will be presented with an animation of an object's motion. It may be a simple, single-stage motion or a more complicated, multi-stage motion. You will have to match the animation to the corresponding graph. The options for the graphs are displayed in the large box below the animation. Tapping on the box changes the graph to a different one. Once you've reached the last graph option, the options cycle back through from the beginning. The different options are numbered so that you can keep track of which is which. You will have to pay careful attention to the axes labels as some of the graphs are position-time graphs and the others are velocity-time graphs. Once you think you have found the matching option, tap on the Check Answer button. Your answer will be evaluated and your Progress Report will be updated. Your goal is to earn "Stars" and to complete one or more levels of difficulty. Stars are earned when you show success on a particular situation. Once you show success on all the graphs at a particular difficulty level, you will earn the reward for that level.
 


 

Earning Stars

When you start up any of the levels of difficulty, the number of situations for that level are shown in the Progress Report area of the Concept Builder. You will notice that there is either a Yellow or a Red background for each question number. When starting up a difficulty level, the background color is Yellow. Answering a "Yellow" question correctly earns you a star for that question number. However, answering it incorrectly turns the background color to Red. A question number with a Red background must be correctly answered twice (without a miss) in order to earn a star. 

 

Getting Help

You will notice that there is a Help Me button underneath the Progress Report. You should learn to use this feature of the program. It's how you can turn an exercise in answering questions into an exercise in learning. Tapping on the Help Me button will open a page with help that is specific to each question. Of course, the Help pages are only helpful if you read them. So take the time to read them. Each Help page contains four sections: a discussion of the The Basic Idea, a display of the Animation that you are trying to find a match for, a section titled "How to Think About This Situation", and a set of links to resources in our Tutorial section. You should pay attention to the sectoin titled How to Think About This Situation. You will find what you need to know in the two or three paragraphs of this section. You will also become a better Physics student for doing that. That is, after all, the goal of such an activity as Graph That Motion.
 
 


Thanks for being patient with the Directions. Happy learning!