C Runner vs rider
In this activity you will analyse data from a race between a runner and a bicycle rider to see who wins
Criterion C: Processing and Evaluating
Information literacy skills > process data and report results
MYP 4-5 inquiry questions: How do we represent change in motion? How can we understand how distance, velocity and acceleration affect each other?
This activity links to the student e-book inquiry 4.3.3 Charting motion
Two MYP students want to see who will win a race, a runner or a bicycle rider.
Think: predict who will win a race, a runner or a bicycle rider? Explain what might this depend on?
Pair and share: discuss your prediction and explanation with your learning partner.
In this activity, you will organise, resent and interpret their data to explain their results.
The students go to a running track to test their predictions.
They carry out three races. They measure the time taken to travel over a distance of 36 m.
Their data is shown in the pdf and the downloadable spreadsheet.
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Present and organise data
- What do you notice about the times for each race? Using your calculator or the spreadsheet, complete the orange columns by entering suitable data there.
Hint:
2. Look carefully at the given data. Is there anything that needs adjusting? Identify the error and correct the data.
Hint:
3. If you are using the spreadsheet, click to the tab at the bottom of the sheet that is called ‘Chart.’
If you are doing this by hand, plot a distance-time graph that shows both sets of data for runner and rider on the axes given on the sheet.
Interpreting data
4. Sketch a line or curve through the points for each racer, runner and rider.
5. What does the data show? Describe any trend (pattern) you see.
6. Who is going to win the race? Explain your answer.
7. Determine the point at which the racers cross. At what (time, distance) does this occur?
8. Describe the motion of the runner and the rider throughout the race. What can you suggest about their velocities and accelerations at each part of the race?
9. Identify any issues you see in the students' data and so evaluate the validity of the students' method.
10. Suggest ways to improve their measurements, and ways that they could extend their investigation.
Prompt for students to reflect on their work using the assessment objectives, e.g.
When you have finished, check your work against the assessment objectives (i- v) for criterion C.
Criterion C: Processing and Evaluating
In your work, highlight an example of where you have done each of the objectives.
Teaching notes for the activity, including links to assessment notes / task-adapted criteria: C Runner vs rider ATTL
and links to downloadable student reflection sheet for criterion C.