Indiana Science HS-PSII-1.4
The Standard
Classify interactions between two objects moving in two dimensions as elastic, inelastic, and completely inelastic.
Indiana Academic Standards for Science (2023) · Energy and Momentum in Two Dimensions
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students track the speed and direction of two objects before and after a collision. They compare total kinetic energy and check whether the objects separate or move together afterward.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can use velocity arrows to track motion along two axes. They identify an elastic collision when total kinetic energy stays the same and an inelastic collision when it drops. They identify a completely inelastic collision when the objects stick and move together.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may call any collision elastic if the objects bounce apart, even when kinetic energy is lost. They may think completely inelastic means both objects stop, or check momentum along only one axis.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Two 1 kg pucks have velocities (2, 0) and (0, 2) m/s before impact, then (1, 0) and (1, 2) m/s after. They separate. Classify the collision and show your total kinetic energy calculation.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Roll marbles into an angled collision, then collide Velcro-covered pucks; film both and compare their motion before and after.
Show two angled collision clips where objects separate; ask what measurements would tell whether either collision is elastic.
Give groups collision cards with masses, before-and-after velocity arrows, and sticking notes; have them calculate total kinetic energy and sort the cards.
Play a slow-motion billiards clip; students mark each ball's position every five frames and compare total kinetic energy before and after contact.
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Printable HS-PSII-1.4 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- HS-PSII-1.3
For a system consisting of two objects moving in two dimensions with no net external forces applied, apply the principles of conservation of linear momentum and...
- HS-PSII-1.2
For a system consisting of two objects with no net external forces applied, qualitatively and quantitatively analyze a two-dimensional interaction (i.e., collis...
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