A Model for Moving Books
At a busy city corner, a bookbindery repairs books with loose pages and damaged covers. Workers move stacks of books on small delivery carts. Imani's class builds a model to investigate what could happen if one cart bumps another. The students use lightweight toy carts on a clear section of floor, away from the shop's walking path.
A short ramp leads to a level track. The class releases a cart without pushing it. A lower starting mark gives a slower arrival. A higher mark gives a faster arrival. The rolling cart strikes a second cart that starts at rest at a marked spot on the level track. Students call this second cart the target.
The students change the starting mark. They keep the carts, track surface, target starting spot, and measuring method the same. After each collision, they measure how far the target travels before stopping. They reset the setup and repeat each speed three times.
In each test, the incoming cart slows during the collision, the target starts moving, and students hear a click. Moving objects have energy. The class uses changes in motion and sound as clues about what happens to that energy.