Foam Dart
Physics unit
Introduction to Physics
Games
for grades:
for grades:
3-5
PreK - 5
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Clip Art By:
http://www.jessicaweible.com/
Foam Dart Gun Disclosure
Although this unit focuses on the fun and games surrounding a foam dart gun please remember
that any use of guns, be it foam dart or otherwise, must be done under the strict supervision of
an adult. Even though the projectiles are ‘just foam’ they can still hurt people, animals, and
break things. I cannot control how you will use this unit but please use it as safely as possible
and set up some basic ground rules and safety rules prior to loading into your foam dart guns.
Please understand that I do want you to enjoy this unit, but must rely on you as parents and
teachers to insure that the foam dart guns are used correctly and safely.
As a parent myself who does not use the foam dart guns, I do have the kids (and my husband)
follow safety rules when they are using them. Here are our family’s rules to just let you see
what we require in our home when foam dart guns are used for learning and fun:
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•
•
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All players must wear appropriate safety glasses.
No shooting at anything not designate by an adult to be shot at.
Adults set-up safe distances for shooting stationary objects.
Animals are not targets under any circumstances.
When playing a game that involves shooting each other no shots may be
intentionally aimed at the head, face, or private places and must not be
taken when the distance is less than 5 feet’ish’ between players.
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Foam Dart Physics
What is physics? Physics is the scientific study of objects in motion. These objects
can be a planet, a soccer ball, a person, or a foam dart shot from a Foam Dart
Gun. Motion is one of the key topics in physics because everything in the
universe is moving. We need to remember that even when we are standing still
or sitting down, the earth is still orbiting the sun, so you are still moving. Motion is
just one part of what physicists call mechanics. Physicists are scientists who study
physics. Over the years physicists have discovered several rules or laws that
explain motion and the causes of changes in motion. There are also special laws
when you reach fast speeds like the speed of light or when you look at very small
things like single atoms. For this unit study we will focus only on the physics of
simple motion because there are a lot of topics to cover in physics and almost all
of them require advanced mathematics to fully understand.
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introduction to Physics of Motion
The physics of motion is the study of motion and its forces. Forces need to act upon an object
to get it moving (or to change its motion). Changes in motion will not happen on their own.
When physicists measure motion they use some basic scientific terms. Here are some basic
Physics terms: velocity, acceleration, and mass.
Directions: Cut out the flash cards below to use throughout this unit.
Velocity is the measure of how fast an object
moves (not its speed). An object’s velocity
can be influenced by the forces acting on it.
Velocities can either increase or decrease
over time.
Acceleration is the measure of how much the
velocity of an object changes in a certain
time period (usually measured in one
second).
Mass is the measure of the amount of
something (usually in grams or kilograms).
So, a car would have a greater mass than a
person.
Velocity
Acceleration
Mass
Simple and Complex Movement
In physics there are two main ideas when it comes to the physics of motion and their
mechanics. The two ideas are that there are simple and complex movements. An example of a
simple movement would be if you were moving in a straight line or similarly, if two objects
were moving towards each other in a straight line. The most simple movements would be
objects moving at a constant velocity. This means that they were not speeding up or slowing
down, but were instead moving at the same rate. An example of complex movement is where
an object is not only at a variable speed, but is also changing direction. An example of complex
movement would be a baseball being thrown or a Foam dart Dart being shot through the air. In
order to really understand the physics of motion we have to think about the forces acting on an
object. The forces acting on an object are acceleration, energy, work, and mass. Let’s take a
closer look at forces.
Forces of Nature
Forces are a big part of physics. The science of physics devotes a lot of time and effort studying
forces that are found everywhere around us and all over the universe. These forces can be big
like the pull of a star on a planet or as small as the pull on a cell’s nucleus on an electron
orbiting it.
Let us take a look at a soccer ball sitting at rest, or not moving, on a soccer field and a player
runs up and kicks it. The player would be exerting a force on the ball. That force is the kick.
The result would be that the ball would go bouncing down the field. Although there are many
forces acting on everything physicists usually isolate one or few at a time to study those
particular forces. As an example of this, when the soccer ball is at rest is still has the forces of
gravity, the wind, air particles around it, and the ground actually pushing up on it. A lot right?
And that is even before it is kicked.
So, if we look at the forces acting on the ball when it is at rest you will see that the forces are in
a state of equilibrium, or rather, the total forces totals zero. This means that the force pushing
down on the ball by gravity is equal to the normal force of the ground pushing up on the ball.
We know they are in equilibrium because the ball is not moving. There might be other forces,
like air particles or the wind, but in this case they are not strong enough to unbalance the
equation. When there is more than one force acting on an object, the forces can be added up if
they act in the same direction, or subtracted if they act in the opposite direction of each other.
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A Formula of Force
Almost everything in science can be explained with formulas. Formulas are equations and
mathematical equations that use variables (letters) to represent values. Force can be explained
as the total force is equal to the mass multiplied by the associated acceleration. Ok, that is
tough, right, but it looks like this:
F=ma
See, that is not all that bad, right? Since all equations and formulas are different we need to
also know what the variables mean. In this case ‘F’ means net force; ‘m’ means mass; and ‘a’
means acceleration. So in our example the net force of the soccer ball is equal to the mass of
the soccer ball multiplied by its change in velocity each second (its acceleration). We can make
physics really complicated by using vectors to split forces into the three dimensions of
movement (x, y, and z) but we will ignore that for now. It can takes years of advanced math to
just understand some of the complex motions involved in physics.
Foam Dart Forces
So, what is the force exerted by your Foam Dart Guns? We know that we have to use the
equation F=ma to figure this out, so let’s find out what the mass and acceleration of your Foam
Dart Gun is. To do this we will have to play with our Foam Dart Guns.
Foam Dart Mass
IF you remember, mass is the measure of how much there is of something. This means the first
thing to do is weigh your Foam Darts. You can measure the Foam Dart weights yourself or,
since it is so light we can use about 25 grams (1 ounce). Since an ounce is very small, we need
to convert it into a unit called kips, or K, for use in our force experiment. To do this we will
need to use other math equations to convert the ounces into kips. We do this knowing the
following relationships of mass: 1 kip is equal to 1000 pounds, 1 pound is equal to 16 ounces.
This means we have the following conversion relationship for ounces to kips:
1 ounce X (1 pound / 16 ounces) x (1 kip / 1000 Pounds)
This means that 1 ounces = 0.0000625 kips. Since our foam dart is 1 ounce it is also equivalent
to 0.0000625 kips in mass.
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Foam Dart Acceleration Experiment
Since we now know the mass of our Foam Darts we need to find out the acceleration of our
Foam Dart Gun. To figure out the acceleration we will need to first figure out the velocity of the
Foam Darts as they are leaving your Foam Dart Gun. To do this we will need to measure how
far your gun fires a dart and how long it takes to reach the ground. This is done by firing your
Foam Dart Gun with some darts in it and using a stop watch to time it. I recommend that you
fire 5 darts (one at a time) and average the results. Here are the steps to measure your Foam
Dart Gun’s Accelerations.
Step 1: Location
Find a location that is about 50 feet long (some guns say there range is 75 feet so you might
need more space), is flat, and has little no wind. You have to remember that wind is also a
force, so it there is wind our simple motion experiment will turn into a complex motion
experiment. Start by distinctly marking a starting point with tape or a line or something so that
each shot fired will be fired from the same point and measured from the same point as well.
Step 2: Fire!
Now grab your stop watch and let’s measure the distance fired and the time it takes to get
there. While standing on your mark keep your Foam Dart Gun as level as possible and fire a
dart. When you fire it you need to measure the time it takes from trigger pull to the dart hitting
the ground. Then measure from your mark to where the dart first hits the ground.
Shot 1 went a distance of _________ feet in a total of _________ seconds.
Shot 2 went a distance of _________ feet in a total of _________ seconds.
Shot 3 went a distance of _________ feet in a total of _________ seconds.
Shot 4 went a distance of _________ feet in a total of _________ seconds.
Shot 5 went a distance of _________ feet in a total of _________ seconds.
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Step 3: Calculate the Average Distance Travelled
Once you have fired all 5 shots you can average the distance results in the following manner:
Total distance travelled = Shot 1 + Shot 2 + Shot 3 + Shot 4 + Shot 5
Total distance travelled = _____ + _____ + _____ + _____ + _____ = _____ feet
To get the average we divide the total distance travelled by the number of shots taken:
Average Distance = Total Distance Travelled / 5 = _____ / 5 = _____ feet
Step 4: Calculate the Average Time Travelled
Once you have fired all 5 shots you can average the time results in the following manner:
Total time travelled = Shot 1 + Shot 2 + Shot 3 + Shot 4 + Shot 5
Total time travelled = _____ + _____ + _____ + _____ + _____ = _____ seconds
To get the average time travelled we divide the total time travelled by the number of shots
taken:
Average Time = Total Time Travelled / 5 = _____ / 5 = _____ seconds
Step 5: Calculate Velocity
Since you know the average distance and time travelled we can calculate the Average Velocity
of your Foam Dart Gun in the following manner:
Average Velocity = Distance Travelled divided by Time Travelled
Average Velocity = ________ feet (Average Distance) / ________ seconds (Average Time)
Average Velocity = _______ feet / sec
For fun, this can also per expressed in miles per hour, or mph by multiplying your result by
0.6818. This is the conversion for feet per second to miles per hour.
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Step 6: Calculate Acceleration
Once we know the Average Velocity of the darts being shot by your Foam Dart Gun we can
determine the Acceleration on the dart by using the following equation:
Acceleration = (Average Velocity – Initial Velocity) /Average Time
Acceleration = _____ feet /sec divided by _____ seconds
Acceleration = _____ feet / second2
Step 7: Calculate the Force of Your Foam Dart
Gun
Once we know the mass of the Foam Dart anf the Acceleration of the Foam Dart Gun we can
calculate the force of the Foam Dart Gun using the equation F = m a that we learned.
Force = (mass) x (acceleration)
Force = (0.0000625 kips) X _____ feet / second2 (you might need a parent for this)
Force = _________ kips-feet per second2
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games
Now you know what Force your Foam Dart Gun places on each foam dart that you
shoot.
With the end of that fun hands-on physics experiment it is time to practice your
new found knowledge of Foam Dart Physics and play some fun games.
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Probability with Foam Darts
Probability is the mathematical measure of the expectation that something will happen or that
a statement is true. Probabilities are given a value between 0 (will not occur) and 100 (will
occur). We express the probability of the expectation occurring in the form of a percentage.
The higher the probability of an event, the more certain we are that the event will occur and
the higher the percentage chance. Examples of probability are found all around us. Take a
simple coin, any one will do. If you flip that coin there are only two possible outcomes. It will
land on either heads or tails. That means that there is a 50-50 chance, or 1 in 2, or 50% chance,
or 50% probability that it will land on heads (or tails).
So, this means that when you discuss probability there are multiple ways to express probability.
The general rule when you are discussing possibility you discuss the chance and the total in the
same terms. In our example of a coin you can see the following ways to describe the
probability of one side landing up like this:
- There are 2 faces, so there is a 1 in 2 chance of either way landing up
- There are 2 faces, so there is a ½ chance of either way landing up
- There are 2 faces, so there is a 50% chance of either way landing up
Let’s try to expand this to a six sided game die. If we tried to say the same thing about a six
sided die we would find the following:
- There are 6 faces, so there is a 1 in 6 chance of any side landing up
- There are 6 faces, so there is a 1/6 chance of any side landing up
- There are 6 faces, so there is a 16.6% chance any side landing up
Now let’s try to review probability before we start experimenting with our Foam Dart Guns. If
we have 1 target, and we can either hit it or not, then answer the questions below:
- There are _____ outcomes, so there is a _____ in _____ chance of a target being hit
- There are _____ outcomes, so there is a _____/_____ chance of a target being hit
- There are _____ outcomes, so there is a _____% chance or a target being hit
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Probability can get complicated when you add multiple items and different outcomes, but this
should be a quick introduction to simple probability. For fun, try this mind teaser question:
Mind Teaser Question: So, let’s use our Foam Dart Guns to practice
probability. Let’s set up 6 different items to shoot at. Each time that
you fire your Foam dart gun at the targets there is a ______ in _____
chance that I will hit at least one of the targets.
Mind Teaser Answer: Now let’s look at the math. If there are 6 targets, each one will provide 2
possible outcomes. That means that there are 2+2+2+2+2+2=12 possible outcomes when you
take one shot with your Foam Dart Gun. The answer should be 1 in 12 chances to hit at least
one target with one shot.
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PHYSICS TERMS CROSSWORD PUZZLE
2
6
1
4
3,7
8
9
5
Across Clues:
1. How fast an object moves is called is _____.
2. Rules of physics are called _____.
3. Physics of _____ is the study of motion and its forces.
4. _____ motion is where and object has variable speed and changes direction.
5. The natural and constant force holding things down to the ground is called _____.
Down Clues:
6. How fast velocity of an object changes in a certain time period is called _____.
7. The measure of the amount of something is called its _____.
8. Forces of _____ are a big part of the study of physics.
9. The study of forces if motion is called _____.
Word Bank
ACCELERATION
LAWS
NATURE
COMPLEX
MASS
PHYSICS
GRAVITY
MOTION
VELOCITY
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PHYSICS TERMS CROSSWORD PUZZLE – ANSWER KEY
L
C
V
E
L
O
O
M
P
L
M
A
S
S
O
A
C
C
E
L
E
R
A
T
I
O
N
W
S
I
T
Y
O
N
A
T
U
R
E
X
I
G
A
V
P
H
Y
S
I
C
S
T
Y
Across Clues:
1 How fast an object moves is called is VELOCITY.
2 Rules of physics are called LAWS.
3 Physics of MOTION is the study of motion and its forces.
4 COMPLEX motion is where and object has variable speed and changes direction.
5 The natural and constant force holding things down to the ground is called GRAVITY.
Down Clues:
6 How fast velocity of an object changes in a certain time period is called ACCELERATION.
7 The measure of the amount of something is called its MASS.
8 Forces of NATURE are a big part of the study of physics.
9 The study of forces if motion is called PHYSICS.
Word Bank
ACCELERATION
LAWS
NATURE
COMPLEX
MASS
PHYSICS
GRAVITY
MOTION
VELOCITY
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Target Games
Now that you have learned a little about how your Foam Dart Gun works, let’s have some fun
with them. The following are some games to play with your Foam Dart gun.
Materials that you will need:
• Foam Dart Gun and ammo
• Things to shoot like empty 2-liter bottles, plastic drink bottles, empty cereal boxes,
etc. (no glass)
• Target Cards (cut out and taped to the this to shoot)
• Space to shoot them (we used a hallway)
• Game Cards
There are multiple ways to play games while shooting your Foam Dart Gun. Here are some
rules for various games:
Target Practice Game
Make the large (4-page) circular target practice target. It should be attached to stiff cardboard
or wood and have the holes cut out. I found that to prevent arguments about what hole a shot
went through I recommend taping a Ziploc style bag over the back of the hole to ‘catch’ and
confirm that a point was earned. In this game all players determine a set number of shots that
they will take at the target. This should be 5, 6, or 10 (these seem to be the standard Foam Dart
capacities). Each player, one-at-a-time, will fire their number of shots. Each time that they
score a point they earn that many points and mark it on their score card. You can play a few
rounds each. After all players have gone they are to add up their points for each round and
then their grand total. The player with the most points wins.
Target Memory Game
Print two sets of the color, number, shape, or letter cards. Attach one set of the targets to some items
that can be shot (empty 2-liter bottles, empty cereal cartons, etc.). Set up a few targets with one set of
the targets on it. Then, place the second set of targets in a pile. One at a time, and alternating, each
player takes a card and tries to shoot the object with the same target on it. If you get a match you get a
point. Determine the number of rounds you want to play. When you have completed all of your rounds
all players add up their points. The player with the most points wins. You can also elect to re-set up
targets between shots as well to make it more fun and give more targets to shoot at.
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Target Math Game
Print the number target cards. Attach the number target cards to some items that can be shot
(empty 2-liter bottles, empty cereal cartons, etc.). Place the function cards in a pile. Set up the
targets and let your player shoot at the targets a number of times you specify. Once the player
has taken the number of shots have them mark on their Math Target Card the numbers that
they have. Then, either give them a function card or have them select a function card at
random and make as many math problems as they can, including answering them, using their
hit targets and their function card. The player with the most correct answers is the winner.
Target Words Game
Print the letter target cards. Attach the letter target cards to some items that can be shot
(empty 2-liter bottles, empty cereal cartons, etc.). I would recommend maybe placing a few
letters on targets. Set up the targets and let your player shoot at the targets a number of times
you specify. Once the player has taken the number of shots have them mark on their Target
Words Player Card the letters that they have. Then, have each player make as many words as
they can using the letters they hit. Letters can be used more than once, so if you were to hit
the letters L, E T, and R you could spell the word ‘letter.’ The player with the most correct
answers is the winner.
Target Sentences Game
This game is a variation on the Target Words game. It is played the same except that you must
add the punctuation cards to the target. Then, once the words are made each player must
make as many complete sentences as they can. They can use words more than once in their
sentences. The player with the most correct sentence is the winner.
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Target Practice Player Card
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
__________
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Round 1 Total
Round 2 Total
Round 3 Total
Round 4 Total
__________
__________
__________
__________
Grand Total
_________
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Target Math Player Card
My Numbers are:
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
My Math Function is:
____________________
The math problems that I can make (with answers) are:
My Score:
____________________
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Target Words Player Card
My Letter is:
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
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__________
__________
__________
__________
The words that I can spell are:
My Score:
____________________
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Target Sentences Player Card – Part 1
My Letter is:
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
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__________
The words that I can spell are:
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Target Sentences Player Card – Part 2
The sentences that I can make are:
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Target Sentences Player Card – Part 3
More sentences that I can make are:
My score:
____________________
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Thank you for downloading my Foam Dart Physics Unit. I hope that your family enjoys
adding a little foam dart fun into your learning adventures over the holidays! If you enjoy
using this item comments are always appreciated both on my blog and via email. Thank
you for your continued support!
Make it a magical homeschooling day,
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