This is a PBL project that had students build a "collision contraption" to be used as the basis for understanding the concepts of impulse and momentum. It was specifically designed to help students increase their depth of knowledge of impulse, momentum, and the differences in energy and momentum conservation between elastic and inelastic collisions. The project required students to design, build, and then use as a basis to prove their applied mastery of impulse and momentum, a contraption that would accurately predict the 2-dimensional motion of colliding objects, as well as to demonstrate the value of modern automobile design features in terms of safety. Note that the project was designed and delivered per the North Carolina honors Physics curriculum and it can be customized to meet your own specific curriculum needs and resources.

Gives students a chance to discuss friction, force and motion. Hands on activity for students to predict their length in which their planes would fly.