Controlling Collisions

Controlling Collisions: Energy Transfer and Design is a part of the Science Unlocked curriculum series for middle school grades 3-7. Crash into this Science Unlocked physics curriculum kit! The Accelerate level kit will allow your student to learn how materials and the structure of design impact the ability to withstand collisions.

Students will explore and discover the connection between potential energy and kinetic energy using a simple ramp, experiment with materials to decide how they act in a collision, and design a solution that can minimize the force of impact on a car model. "Controlling Collisions" comes with a full-color Student Curriculum Workbook and Teacher Guide. It is a phenomenon-based approach, designed to fully engage students in the science of colliding objects. Through a series of experiments, students will learn how damage from crashes happens and how it can be minimized. As part of a special program from Home Science Tools, this Accelerate level kit will provide over 14 hours of engaging instruction, helping your student gain knowledge and confidence while doing real science.

In this kit, the student will do all these activities:

1. See what a golf ball really looks like when it's hit
2. Find out how the starting height affects the force of impact at the end of a ramp
3. Explore the differences in the two major types of collisions
4. Observe how the type of material changes the result of an impact
5. Take a crash course in how engineers design solutions for controlling energy transfer in collisions
6. Use the engineering process to design a device that minimizes the damage from a crash

• Why do collisions cause damage?
• How is collision damage affected by materials and design?
• How does starting height change the result of a collision with the ground?
• What kinds of energy are involved in collisions?
• How can people and property be protected from collision damage?

Our Controlling Collisions kit is a part of the Science Unlocked Accelerate series and is recommended for grades 3-7.

Interested in learning more? Check out our Student Workbook Sample and Teacher Guide Sample!  

This kit contains:

• Balsa Wood Plank
• 12 Cotton Balls
• 2 Dowel, 1/4 inch
• 2 Dowel, 1/8 inch
• 1 Foam ball
• 2 Foam Cups
• 1 Masking Tape
• 2 Modeling Doughs
• 10 Packing Peanuts
• 1 Ping-pong Ball
• 4 Plastic wheels
• 2 Plastic zip-close Bags
• 1 Rubber Ball
• 1 Ruler
• 1 Steel Ball
• 1 Wood Ball

You will also need:

• Pen or Marker
• Scissors

• Learning outcome: Crash into this physics kit to learn how materials and the structure of design impact the ability to withstand collisions.
• NGSS science standards alignment

• 3-5-ETS1-2 Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
• 3-5-ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
• 4-PS3-1 Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.
• 4-PS3-3 Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.
• 4-PS3-4 Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.
• MS-PS3-1 Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object.
• MS-PS3-5 Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.