ERIC Number: EJ926901
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Mar
Pages: 2
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-921X
EISSN: N/A
Large General Purpose Frame for Studying Force Vectors
Heid, Christy; Rampolla, Donald
Physics Teacher, v49 n3 p156-157 Mar 2011
Many illustrations and problems on the vector nature of forces have weights and forces in a vertical plane. One of the common devices for studying the vector nature of forces is a horizontal "force table," in which forces are produced by weights hanging vertically and transmitted to cords in a horizontal plane. Because some students have difficulty relating the geometry of the textbook illustrations with weights in a vertical plane to the horizontal geometry of a force table, we developed a vertical force frame, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, that allows a vertical arrangement of weights and cords that mimics exactly the textbook illustrations, and is on a scale that makes it easy for the students to "feel" the magnitudes of forces. This frame is easy to build, inexpensive, and provides a working area of almost 5 ft x 5 ft (1.8 m x 1.8 m) and a number of alternative ways of working with forces. This frame can also be easily expanded to an area of 10 ft x 5 ft (3.6 m x 1.8 m) for large complex configurations. The frame is easy to assemble or disassemble using only a VSR drill and deck screws, and stores compactly. Students can gain engineering skills by assembling the frame guided by schematic drawings.
Descriptors: Textbooks, Illustrations, Geometry, Physics, Science Instruction, Scientific Concepts, Scientific Principles, Demonstrations (Educational), Science Experiments
American Association of Physics Teachers. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740. Tel: 301-209-3300; Fax: 301-209-0845; e-mail: pubs@aapt.org; Web site: http://scitation.aip.org/tpt
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A