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Graph Lab (Displacement, Velocity)

Ratings

Overall Rating:
Content Quality:
Effectiveness:
Ease of Use:

Reviewed:	Mar 23, 2001 by Physics
Overview:	This applet is a tool for graphing displacement and velocity (1-dimensional) versus time. Initial position, velocity and acceleration are adjustable parameters. The input is in the form of sliders with a fixed range for each variable.
Learning Goals:	The user can examine how adjusting the kinematic parameters affects the appearance of these graphs.
Target Student Population:	Secondary and Lower Level Undergraduates.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:	Basic algebra concepts
Type of Material:	Lecture/Demo
Technical Requirements:	Display of background color switches on and off in IE5. The final zero does not show properly when the user sets x_0 to +/- 100 m, therefore misleading the user to think it is +/- 10 m.

Evaluation and Observation

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:	This applet helps to visualize the very basic properties of kinematics. It is particularly good for showing how the resulting motion will differ as initial conditions differ.
Concerns:	The content is simple and does not allow for more involved investigations.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

Recommended Use(s) for Material (used for Effectiveness Review):
Lecture/Demo

Simple clear display of kinematic graphs. The user can very easily visualize the resulting motion (displacement and velocity versus time) given varying initial conditions. In particular, the way the graphs of displacement and velocity change as the user changes initial conditions are an important part of this visualization.

Concerns:

Use(s) Material is not Suited For: Tutorial or Homework

Limited coverage of topics. The effectiveness only goes so far. The applet lacks practical application and quantitative uses.

General Comments on Effectiveness:
The user cannot evaluate (get an exact quantity for) the displacement or velocity after t = 0, but can only visualize it.

The range of selectable values for velocity and acceleration are limited compared to what could be graphed (given the limits of the displacement graph).

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:	The item can be used easily and quickly to show how the plots change when acceleration, velocity, and initial position are varied. All that needs to be done is click on up and down arrows to change initial conditions. With a little background, the user will figure out what is going on very quickly.
Concerns:	The practical applications are limited by the limited scope of features. The equations being plotted are not supplied to the user. While it is extremely straight forward, there are no instructions. Some guidance would be useful for the beginner. Lack of tick marks on the graph make them a little bit difficult to interpret in any quantitative way.

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Peer Review

Graph Lab (Displacement, Velocity)

Ratings

Overall Rating:

Evaluation and Observation

Content Quality

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty