Buggy Lab

The buggy lab is designed to allow students to explore constant velocity. Students use "low tech equipment" to find the speed of a battery operated cart. In the image below, students are using a sheet of paper to mark the distance travelled in a given time interval. Later, the distances are measured and used to make a graph of distance vs. time.

The collected data was entered into their graphing calculator and a mathematical model for the data can be determined.

Students prepare white board to present to the class to aid in the understanding of the concepts. In this case, the specific discussion revolves around the slope and y-intercept of the graph.

Students present their findings and question one another about the concepts involved in the lab.

If you are an educator or interested in this activity and wish to have more information, send an e-mail to jrynear@lps.org or jwelker@lps.org.