It's About Time
Automatic Triggering Devices
How does the air bag trigger in an accident? The lesson explores how automatic triggering devices work in automobiles. Using examples such as a seat belt lock and air bag, scholars design their own device to better understand the...
It's About Time
Why Air Bags?
If a heavy steel car can't protect you from injury, how can a bag filled with air? The lesson answers this question and many others as young scientists experiment with the impulse and forces related to air bags in automobiles.
It's About Time
Life (and Fewer Deaths) After Seat Belts
Seat belts reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by about half. Scholars continue crashing their cart with a crash test dummy into a wall, but this time, they experiment with different types of seat belts to reduce injuries....
It's About Time
Life (and Death) Before Seat Belts
Did you know only 80-90% of passengers wear a seat belt in a moving car? Young scholars use clay and a cart to complete an experiment about what happens without a seat belt in a collision. The lesson includes Newton's Second Law of...
It's About Time
Accidents
Did you know that cars weren't designed for passenger safety until the 1960s? The lesson starts with a quick quiz on automobile safety. Then, scholars evaluate three cars for their safety features. This is the third in a set of nine...
It's About Time
Speed and Following Distance
How much distance should you keep between your car and the one in front of you? Did you think of an answer in terms of time when the question clearly stated distance? The lesson covers the relationship between distance, time, and speed....
It's About Time
Response Time
How fast are your reactions in the case of an emergency? Young scholars complete many activities including: time estimation, building a circuit, multiple reaction time experiments, and graphing.
NASA
What’s the Problem with Isotropy?
Some patterns are so small, we can't see them without the help of technology. The same is true for cosmic microwave background radiation. During this activity and discussion, scholars examine both anisotropic and isotropic items and...
NASA
Raisin Bread Universe
What is the universal breakfast? The resource includes two activities, the first one observing oatmeal to understand the texture of the universe. Then, scholars measure raisin bread dough before and after it rises to represent the...
Exploratorium
Tired Weight
You don't need a scale to determine weight. This activity provides a way to use the concepts of air pressure and surface area to determine the weight of a vehicle by calculating the amount of weight each tire supports.
New York State University
Law of Conservation of Energy
Become energy efficient with a presentation that covers the Law of Conservation of Energy with friction. It also includes energy transformations, power, and units of measurement.
Practical Action
The Wind Power Challenge
Up it goes! Groups must design and build a windmill able to lift a weight. The packet includes discussion points to use prior to the build that cover topics such as variables, fairness, and the design process.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Water Rocket Launch
How do rockets fly? Teams design, build, and launch a rocket made from a two-liter bottle to explore forces on a rocket such as Newton's Laws of Motion. During the design phase, young engineers draw a diagram of their rocket and include...
It's About Time
Center of Mass
Lead your class on an exploration as they locate the center of mass in several oddly shaped two-dimensional objects they create from their imaginations. Pupils also determine the location of the center of mass in three-dimensional...
Bowels Physics
Work, Energy, and Power
Work, energy, and their relationship to power: what is the common thread? Explore this with your class as they learn the concepts of work and energy, both kinetic and potential, before completing multiple practice problems to demonstrate...
Bowels Physics
Refraction and Lenses
Every object we see must pass through a lens, but how does each individual's lens differ? Learners explore the science behind refraction and lenses, uncovering the details that allow them to perform daily activities.
Bowels Physics
Newton's Second Law
Were it not for Sir Newton, our understanding of physics and matters of the world would be drastically different. Present your class with detailed information of Newton's Second Law as they explore the concepts of mass and acceleration....
Curated OER
Concave Mirrors
Study concave and convex mirrors with an in-depth slideshow presentation. Slides contain term definitions as well as labeled diagrams.
Michigan Technological University
Giant Mirrors
Did you know some retailers use curved mirrors in their fitting rooms to make customers look thinner? Pupils view themselves in convex and concave mirrors to understand the difference. The resource includes big ideas for multiple age...
NASA
Moon Phases and Eclipses
Starry-eyed astronomers draw different views of the Moon in order to introduce its phases. Then they experiment with a ball and a lamp to recreate the phases. A demonstration ensures every pupil understands the process, and the...
It's About Time
AC and DC Currents
An informative physics lesson includes two teacher demonstrations, one on AC currents and the other on DC currents, allowing pupils to take notes while watching. The resource includes questions to assign as homework or during class...
It's About Time
The Electricity and Magnetism Connection
Magnets don't grow in fields, but magnetic fields are important to understand. The lesson covers the effect electricity has on magnetic fields. Scholars use a compass, magnets, and electrical wire to test magnetic fields and energy...
It's About Time
Effect of Lenses on Light
Optometry jokes just get cornea and cornea. Young scientists use a lens and light to create and measure focal points on both a note card and the wall. They then complete a reading passage and questions as homework.
NASA
The Evidence is “Clear”!
Do you think you know better? Become a scientist and prove it. Scholars review the evidence for two different theories of the origins of the universe. They notice the empirical observations as well as the inferences to determine which is...