Schottenbauer Publishing

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Marble Collisions in Graphs

Collision are an essential component of the game of marbles. Consider the graph below, excerpted from the book series Gravity, Springs, and Collisions from Schottenbauer Publishing.


Discussion Questions
  1. Is the velocity of either marble ever 0? If so, what is the time of v = 0?
  2. How many collisions occur in the graph?
  3. Draw a sketch of the marble track, showing the point of collision(s). Label each point of collision with the time. Number each segment of the journey: (1) Before Collision, (2) Collision, (3) After Collision.
  4. Calculate the average velocity of each marble during each segment. 
  5. Calculate the momentum of each marble during each segment.
  6. Calculate the kinetic energy of each marble during each segment.
  7. Make a table containing the data above, showing the velocity, momentum, and kinetic energy of each marble during each segment of time.

Over 8,000 graphs from Schottenbauer Publishing provide additional real-life topics for student learning, including sports, transportation, construction, environment, music, entertainment/toys, and general physics. 


Additional Information