AI Summary
[DOCUMENT_TYPE: user_assignment]
This document is a student assignment for Harvard University’s Global Infectious Diseases and Social Justice course (SCILIVSY 26), centered around an interactive simulation called “Free Fall Tower.” It requires students to explore concepts of physics – gravity, air resistance, terminal velocity, and acceleration – through hands-on experimentation within the Gizmo environment.
This assignment is designed for students to apply scientific reasoning and observation skills. It’s likely used to reinforce understanding of physical principles relevant to broader discussions within the course, potentially as a metaphor for disease transmission or other dynamic systems. It’s completed as part of course participation and assessment.
This assignment focuses on *exploring* these concepts, not *teaching* them. Students are expected to have some prior knowledge of physics. The Gizmo itself provides the simulation and data collection tools, but this document outlines the specific tasks and questions students must address.
This document provides the assignment instructions, including prior knowledge questions, a Gizmo warm-up activity, and three focused activities (vacuum, air resistance, and parachutes). It includes the questions students must answer within the Gizmo interface. It does *not* include the completed answers, the simulation itself, or detailed explanations of the underlying physics principles. Students will need access to the ExploreLearning Gizmo platform to complete the assignment.