THE LESSON PLAN
  1. Show the class the different cylinder types, pass the cylinders around and ask them to note some properties of each cylinder -- i.e. mass, radius, material etc.
  2. Propose a race between the different cylinder types and ask the class which they think is going to win.
  3. If they get it wrong ask them what they think is going on? What is causing one to be faster than the other?
  4. Try to have the class realize that we have a case of energy conservation without telling them outright.
  5. Talk about the conservation of energy and the subcategories of potential and kinetic energy.
  6. Introduce rotational kinetica energy and how Moment of Inertia and Angular velocity are analogs to Mass and Velocity respectively.
  7. Explain how angular velocity is related to translational velocity.
  8. Have the class solve for the theoretical velocity for the solid cylinder.
  9. Run a quck experiment to measure the real speed of the cylinders at the bottom of the ramp and compare it to the theoretical velocity.
  10. If they are different ask what are the reasons for this?
  11. End presentation.
  12. Get the class to try and solve for the velocity