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Project Surf is a field trip experience for students in which we study the force of a baseball - pitch by pitch.
This lesson shows how "Wii Love Physics" is incorporated into a larger multimedia/real world experience for physics students.
Activity 1 --> Who's on First?
Students will break down the material in this classic routine. This is also
a great way to get students interested in the lesson. Students will first list 10 things they learned, then condense
those things into 3 main ideas. Finally, students will ask a physics related follow up question about the routine. (I
always did want to know which player was in right field).
Activity 2: The Science of Baseball
After
intoducing the baseball lesson, we use this exploratorium website to learn about baseball. I like to use the reaction
time game to show students how really difficult hitting a baseball is. I also like to show a clip from Beakman's World
in which Beakman shows how hard it is to hit a baseball. The link is included below...
The Science of Baseball
Activity 3 - Wii Love Physics
Prior to this activity, I let students know that we are going to an Atlantic
City Surf minor league baseball game. I tell them that they will be taking time data for several pitches during an inning.
From this data, they will calculate the force applied by the baseball. Remember that this is middle school physics and
we are taking a few liberties here.
By completing the Wii Love Physics baseball activity using the training mode of Wii Sports
(homerun hitting sim), students will be able to practice what we'll be doing in a controlled environment. Students enter
data in the palm pilots during class so that any questions can be answered and any technical issues with the palm pilots can
be resolved.
Activity 4 - Atlantic City Surf Baseball Game
It's game day! I assign groups of students certain innings where they will time a pitch using
a stop watch. Students are free to watch the game or get snacks but need to be present to get their 5 or 6 pitches.
Students analyze the motion of the pitches with me and then they are on their way. Back in class, we will graph the
force and determine how the velocity of the ball impacts the force.
I assign lots of groups for the first few innings so I can pack up the gear, grab a hot dog, and enjoy
the game!
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