IOP Institute of Physics
Physics in Concert
What do physicists and musicians have in common? A lot more than you might think. After first viewing a slide show presentation and completing a series of skills practice worksheets on the physics of light, sound, and electricity, young...
National Energy Education Development Project
Exploring Hydropower
In 2006, about 20 percent of the world's electricity was generated from hydroelectric power. In the presentation, scholars review the water cycle and gravitational energy to begin to understand how humans harness the power of water. They...
Curated OER
How Much Electricity Do You Use?
In this energy use worksheet, students will look at a table that lists different household appliances and the amount of energy used per year measured in Kilowatt-hours. Using this information, students will calculate how much these...
Curated OER
Fall 2004 Midterm Exam #1, Parts A & B
First year physics learners show what they know about electric potential, circuits, power, current, and voltage on this midterm exam. It consists of a multiple choice section, some true or false questions, and two multi-step problems to...
Curated OER
Home Energy Audit: Measuring Energy Worksheet
In this measuring energy worksheet, students calculate the annual cost to run an appliance for a year. They determine how much energy and money can be saved by replacing light bulbs with fluorescent lights and they read electric meters...
Curated OER
Magnetism
All phenomena concerning magnets, their field lines and impact on objects are covered. The trivia surrounding field lines and the earth, electric charges, repulsion and attraction is plentiful. The slide show continues after twenty...
National Energy Education Development Project
Exploring Hybrid School Bus Technology
The color School Bus Yellow was created in 1939 because science had proven peripheral vision detects yellow 1.24 times faster than other colors. Young scientists explore modern school bus transportation options and then discuss the types...
US Department of Energy
The Invisible Electromagnet: A Transparent Magnetic Field Viewer
Audio speakers, hard drives, credit cards, and even the earth use magnetic fields. While we observe the effect of magnetic fields, we can't actually see them. A viewer helps participants explore magnetic fields, some of the items that...
US Department of Energy
Magnets on a Stick: A Magnetic Force Demonstration Device
Why do some magnets attract while others repel? Scholars use clearly labeled permanent magnets to explore the attractive question. They compare the behavior of like versus opposite poles to find the answer.
Curated OER
The Phantom of the Computer Lab
Students calculate the power consumption of computers in school. For this physics lesson, students design an experiment to determine whether the school should unplug computers at the end of the day. They collect data and report findings...
Curated OER
Deducing Induction
High schoolers examine how changing magnetic fields induce currents in
loops and coils, determine orientation and magnitude of magnetic field,
describe Michael Faraday's experiments that led to conclusion that changing
magnetic force...
Chymist
Batteries
Young scientists study the construction of a battery through experimentation. They engage in five experiments which combine to create a thorough study of the history of batteries beginning with a model of the first battery.
Colorado State University
Why Is the Sky Purple?
The color of the sky depends on the time of day. Young scholars experiment with scattering different wavelengths of light to recreate the color of the sky. They observe both the longer blue wavelengths and the shorter red and orange...
Curated OER
Orienting a Photovoltaic Cell
Learners explore the optimum angle for orienting a solar collector relative to the rays of incoming sunlight. They review equinoxes, solstices, and various locational ideas before students investigate using meters, light sources, and...
Curated OER
Alternative Energy
High schoolers identify the five major alternative energy sources. In this physical science lesson, students assess the advantages and disadvantages for each type of energy. They complete a concept map using information they researched.
Teach Engineering
Quantum Dots and Colors
Introduce teams to quantum dot solutions with an activity that has them expose solutions to a blacklight, observe the colors, and take measurements. Groups graph the data and analyze the dependence between particle size and color...