How did the direction of the applied force affect Dimorphos’s orbit?

High School | Daily Do

How did the direction of the applied force affect Dimorphos’s orbit?

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Sensemaking is actively trying to figure out how the world works (science) or how to design solutions to problems (engineering). Students do science and engineering through the science and engineering practices. Engaging in these practices necessitates that students be part of a learning community to be able to share ideas, evaluate competing ideas, give and receive critique, and reach consensus. Whether this community of learners is made up of classmates or family members, students and adults build and refine science and engineering knowledge together.

Lesson Snapshot

High school students, as scientists, investigate the DART project in order to make progress on figuring out the following driving questions: How did the direction of the applied force affect Dimorphos’s orbit? And, if scientists wanted to change Dimorphos’s speed as much as possible, what direction would they have tried to hit it? Students discuss their initial ideas about Dimorphos’s energy, based on prior work with conservation of energy. Then students use collisions with soccer balls to investigate the direction scientists would have tried to hit Dimorphos from to change its speed as much as possible. Students use what they figure out to update the consensus model and raise new questions about energy and the speed of objects in collisions.

This is Lesson 5 of the Asteroids Orbits Unit.

Click the Download PDF button above for the complete Lesson Plan.

Materials

Student Materials

Per Student

ExGen HS Unit L5 Student Guide

Per Small Group (2 to 4 students)

Soccer ball (or other type of ball students could use for the investigation)

Teacher Materials

ExGen HS Unit L5 slides

Optional Teacher Resources

Asteroid Orbits Additional Resources