Create Your Own Momentum Problem

After my physical science students finished with their momentum quiz, I gave them the task of creating their own momentum problem. They had to pick a subject for their problem and determine an appropriate mass and velocity.  

Some students converted pounds to kilograms to find the mass.  Others just did a google search to find the mass they were looking for.  Some estimated velocities, and others googled for a velocity as well.  

I gave my students the choice of writing a problem that required solving for momentum, mass, or velocity.  Most of my students took the easy route and wrote a problem asking the reader to solve for momentum.  In retrospect, I would require students to write a multi-step problem with one step involving solving for momentum, one step for mass, and one step for velocity.  

Students were also asked to write up a solution to their problem on notebook paper and attach it to the problem.  

Here is what my students came up with:

I look forward to improving this activity in the future if I continue teaching physical science.  I’m taking my chemistry certification test on President’s Day, so I’ll hopefully be actually certified to teach physical science!