Chris+and+Ricky's+Webquest

Designed by Chris Chen and Ricky Hu
 * The Physics of Sports** A WebQuest for 9th Grade (Physics)



 **Introduction** (//Section 1 of the Quest//) Your favorite sports team in your favorite sport has hired you as a physics analyst. Your job is to research the physics behind your particular sport and provide the information to your team in order to help them improve.

 **The Task** (//Section 2 of the Quest//) You will present your research to the team in the form of 2 questions. These question must be physics questions incorporating any number of mathematical concepts we have previously learned. The questions must also include units and values that are realistic applicable to your sport. The two questions must each address a unique physics concept (one projectile motion question and one angular momentum question, etc.)

 **The Process** (//Section 3 of the Quest//) 1. Each student will be assigned to a team of three students. The team will be assigned to a sport, and the group can come to a consensus on which professional sports team they will choose to work for. 2. Do research on the sport of their choosing, using the links for their sports provided below. Students should pay special attention to things such as the mass of balls, the dimensions of the game fields and equipment, and typical heights and weights of players on the team they chose. The websites for their sport will be provided below. Use the professional rulebooks for dimensions of the field and ball. 3. Once you have completed their research, you must formulate two physics word questions. Each question must incorporate the research in step two and use realistic values, units, variables and constants. Treat the ball as a point mass if necessary. 4. Write the questions down on a sheet of paper, including a detailed explanation of each value chosen in the question.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/hockey/ |Hockey] (Exploratorium) http://www.usahockeymagazine.com/article/2009-08/science-hockey |Hockey] (Hockey Magazine) http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=27011 [Hockey] (NHL.com)
 * Hockey Links**

http://www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/ |Baseball] (Exploratorium) Baseball (Worsleys School) http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/official_rules/foreword.jsp [Baseball] (mlb.com)
 * Baseball**

http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/beginnersguidetofootball |Football] (NFL.com) http://scienceblogs.com/builtonfacts/2010/01/brees.php |Football] (Science Blogs)
 * Football**

http://www.worsleyschool.net/science/files/physicsof/basketball.html |Basketball] (Worsleys School) http://www.nba.com/analysis/rules_1.html?nav=ArticleList |Basketball] (NBA.com) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106201101.htm |Basketball] (Science Daily)
 * Basketball**

Weight of... Hockey Puck is 6 ounces Baseball is 5.25 ounces Football 15 ounces Basketball 22 ounces http://www.splung.com/ -Helpful physics information, equations and concepts http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hph.html -More physics information, equations, concepts, and interactive calculators http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/ -Moar physics information, animations, and concepts
 * Websites for Physics Help**

 **Evaluation** (//Section 4 of the Quest//) The project will be evaluated in two ways - 1 - Each group will submit their questions to the teacher on a sheet of paper. On the paper, the group must explain the basis for each of their mathematical choices, such as variables and constants based on their research into their particular sport. The questions will be graded on the following criteria: Accuracy of the question to actual sports data, the creativity of the question, and the level of detail in the explanation. 2 - Each student will have to complete a quiz, which is compiled from all the groups in the class. The group with the highest combined score on the quiz will receive a secret prize. Students will not receive credit for the questions which they created.

 **Conclusion** (//Section 5 of the Quest//) By completing this process, students will have learned how to apply mathematical concepts they learned into real world situations. Besides sports, what are some other areas of life or society where physics can help us gain a better understanding?

 **Credits & References** (//Section 6 of the Quest//) Photo by MrFishK at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrfishk/4653287999/, used under a Creative Commons license.

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