Many students think the resistance of an object to changes in its horizontal motion is due to its weight (rather than its mass)
Misconception
Diagnostic Resources
The following worksheets may help to identify whether students hold this particular misconception.
For more information, see the University of York EPSE website.
The following two questions probe students' understanding of the acceleration of an object with varying weight across different locations (it's the mass rather than weight that provides the resistance to motion).
EPSE Gravity Q14Resources to Address This
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The inertia balance or 'wig-wag' (11-16)
This resource shows that resistance to motion depends on the mass of the body being accelerated, rather than on its weight.
View Resource -
The effects of force and mass on motion (11-16)
Students can quickly see that force and mass have opposite effects on acceleration.
View Resource
References
- Brown, D. and Clement, J. () "Classroom Teaching Experiments in Mechanics" in R. Duit, F. Goldberg, & H. Niedderer (eds.), Research in physics learning - theoretical issues and empirical studies. San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 380-397.
- Fischbein, E., Stavy, R. and Ma-Naim, H. () The Psychological Structure of Naïve Impetus Conceptions. International Journal of Science Education, 11 (1), 71-81.