MS-PS2-2 · Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

How far does it
take to stop?

A driver sees a hazard and slams the brakes. The vehicle does not stop where the brakes are pressed — it keeps going. You are going to figure out what controls how far.

01

Plan your investigation

You cannot test everything at once. Choose one variable to change, then decide what you will hold constant so the comparison is fair.

Variable I will change
02

Predict the graph

Locked — finish your plan

Before any data appears, draw the shape you expect. Use your finger or mouse and draw all the way across. You are committing to a claim — it is fine to be wrong, that is the useful part.

Your prediction
03

Run the tests

Locked — draw your prediction first

Each run is a separate braking test at the settings you chose. Watch your prediction line as the measurements land on top of it.

04

Explain it

Locked — collect data first

Write up what you found. Your evidence is the table above — use the actual numbers.

Claim

Answer your question in one sentence. What effect did your variable have?

Evidence

Quote at least two measurements from your data, including units. Compare them.

Reasoning

Connect it to forces and motion. What is the unbalanced force here, and why does changing your variable change how far the vehicle travels before it stops?

Variables investigated
Starting speed Road surface Vehicle load

Speed and surface change the forces involved. Load changes the mass. Investigate all three before you decide what controls stopping distance.