It's About Time
Building an Electric Motor
Rev your motor with a hands-on activity about electricity. Learners build their own electric motor before reading a handout and answering some questions.
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Stepper Motor
Students compare a stepper motor from a traditional motor. In this physics lesson, students summarize how it works. They build their own stepper motor and explore its uses.
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Fall 2003 Midterm Exam #2
Your physics learners will really shine when they take this midterm exam. It covers a variety of concepts dealing with electromagnetic spectra, electricity, and motors and it provides a variety of question styles.
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AC Motor Theory
In this electrical circuit learning exercise, students answer a series of 20 open-ended questions about AC motor circuits. This learning exercise is printable and the answers are revealed online.
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Design Project: DC Motor
For this DC motor worksheet, the learner answers 3 open-ended questions pertaining to the design of a DC motor. The worksheet is printable and the answers are revealed online.
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DC Motor Theory
In this physics learning exercise, students solve 12 problems on DC motor circuit. They make predictions and construct the corresponding circuit to verify if they are correct.
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Science: Building an Electric Motor
Students build their own electric motors and use them to conduct experiments. Following a step-by-step procedure, they make wire coils by wrapping wire around disc magnets and complete the process with clay, paper clips, alligator clips,...
Museum of Science
Wind Turbine
Let the energy blow. Using mostly easily found material such as PVC pipe and fans, pupils build wind turbines. Scholars connect a multimeter to an electric motor to determine the amount of energy generated by their designs. Learners then...
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Electricity Safety
Third graders explore electricity safety. In this science lesson, 3rd graders read a story about an electrical outage. Students discuss if various situations shown are safe or unsafe.
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Design Project: LED Stroboscope
In this physics worksheet, students design and build an electrical circuit using LED as a light source. They complete 2 short answer questions about their design.
Space Awareness
The Engine of Life
There is a specific zone, or distance from a star, that a planet must be in order to have water in a liquid form. The activity demonstrates how flux density depends on its distance from the source. A photovoltaic cell gets power to drive...
Space Awareness
Climate Zones
The climate at the equator is hotter than the climate at the poles, but why? The lesson goes in depth, explaining how the angles of illumination relate to the heating rate at different latitudes and seasons. Scholars use a strong lamp,...
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Unit VII: Worksheet 5 - Energy and Power
The intent of this worksheet is to provide physics scholars with practice solving power problems. Seven different word problems are presented. Learners use formulas for energy and power to determine what it takes for boxes to be lifted,...
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Swamp Thing
Students create a build-it-yourself boat that runs on two small electric motors. Swamp Thing has an electronic brain that can be controlled and steered with a flashlight.
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Junior Solar Sprint Series: Gears and Drive Belts
Activate middle schoolers' minds with this physical science activity. Learners vary the diameter of gears and the number of teeth on them to find how energy output is affected. This writeup features well-developed background information...
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Maglev Trains
Students explore how Maglev trains work. In this technology lesson plan, students discuss the pros and cons of Maglev compared to conventional trains. They build a simple Maglev train model.
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How Gear Systems Work: A Research Project
Students apply information regarding simple machines along with the math concept "ratios." The teacher introduces the concept that technology is the application of scientific knowledge and mathematics concepts to solve a problem. This is...
Raytheon
Decimals: Mixed Operations
For this decimal word problem worksheet, students complete a set of 10 problems, comparing results of performance tests on cars. An answer key is included.
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Current-Carrying Coils In Magnetic Fields
Students predict the direction of movement for the pointer of a home-made galvanometer for a given current direction and describe how the current-carrying coil exerts a force on the magnet.
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The Fall of the Ruler
Students determine their reaction time using a ruler. In this Physics activity, students calculate the class' means and variances. They plot the graph and analyze if there are outliers.
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Battery Depletion and Piecewise Linear Graphing
Students examine a recent flight of Pathfinder. In groups, they use the information to create a table of values showing the battery charge of the space machine. They predict what the charge would be further on in the mission. They use...