Description For Lab #6 - Graphing 1: Extrapolation and Interpolation
Objectives:
To determine the relationship between the distance a toy car is pulled back and the distance it travels after being released.
To predict the distance a car will travel when pulled back a specific distance.
This lab is designed to examine how graphs can be used to predict results. The simulation is based on a spring-operated pullback toy car. The distance the car is pulled back to store energy in the spring can be varied by either entering a value in the appropriate box or by using the slider at the bottom of the simulation. Once the pullback distance is selected, hitting "Play" causes the animation to load the spring and release the car. The car will follow a random path to simulate the variability of a real-world toy car's motion. When the car comes to a stop the straight line distance from the car to the starting point is displayed below the animation.