Impact

There are 2 parts to this activity which should both be carried out prior to the Deep Impact mission. The aim of this activity is to learn about the specific features of craters.

The aim of this activity is to use vectors and Pythagoras’ theorem to work out the speed at which an impactor hits a comet.

The aim of this activity is to calculate the kinetic energy of an impact and to learn how the kinetic energy changes when the weight of an impactor is altered.

Meteorite impacts are devastating events but it is not only the impact itself which causes destruction but the after effects of these phenomena which can be just as catastrophic. From stratigraphic records and accounts of recent impact events we can build up a picture of various resulting disasters encountered when these space rocks collide with the Earth.

OverviewThis lesson aims to introduce pupils to the different effects of a meteorite impact and develop their understanding of various mitigation techniques for these events.