Physics 500 Lab Activity

Get your students moving while they explore the relationship between speed, distance, and time in this engaging, hands-on physics lab!

In the Physics 500 Lab, students become the racers. Working in groups, they design and complete different types of races, such as walking backward, hopping, skipping, or heel-to-toe walking. Students measure distance and time, then use their data to calculate and compare average speed.

The challenge continues with a Mystery Distance! Students use a previously calculated average speed and a new time measurement to estimate an unknown distance, giving them an opportunity to rearrange and apply the speed equation in a meaningful way.

Students finish the activity with analysis and application questions involving average vs. maximum speed, unit conversions, experimental error, and real-world speed calculations, including an Interstate 95 speed-limit problem and a Mars Rover challenge.

Students will practice:

• Measuring distance and time

• Calculating average speed

• Using and rearranging the speed equation

• Solving for speed, distance, and time

• Converting between m/s and mph

• Analyzing experimental error

• Applying physics concepts to real-world situations

• Collecting, organizing, and interpreting experimental data

This lab is a great way to take physics off the worksheet and onto the racetrack. 🏁 Students get an active, memorable experience while practicing the calculations and reasoning behind motion.

Perfect for: Middle school physical science, introductory physics, motion units, speed/distance/time lessons, outdoor science activities, or a review of average speed.

NGSS Alignment:

PS2.A: Forces and Motion

Students develop an understanding of motion and changes in motion, including speed, velocity, displacement, and acceleration.

Science and Engineering Practices:

• Analyzing and Interpreting Data

• Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

• Developing and Using Models

• Applying mathematical relationships to physical phenomena

Crosscutting Concepts:

• Cause and Effect

• Patterns

• Systems and System Models