National Science Foundation
Science of the Winter Olympic Games: Physics of Slope-Style Skiing
Many mechanical phenomena are explained by a physics professor using Nick Goepper, a Winter Olympics 2014 slope-style skier, as the model. Beginning with kinetic and potential energy, the professor goes on to explain angular momentum and...
Curated OER
Baby Energy
Baby energy is not what it sounds like, it's better. Using a baby playing at the park as his model, this young man describes, provides solid examples, and works through a series of equations that show energy. Potential and kinetic...
Steve Spangler Science
Magic Rollback Can - Sick Science! #051
Have your class explore potential and kinetic energy or conservation of energy. They can make a device called a rollback can. Like magic, the can returns to where it started after it has been pushed away.
Steve Spangler Science
Bounce No Bounce Balls - Cool Science Experiment
Steve Spangler plays a sneaky trick on Mark by giving him a rubber ball that doesn't bounce! Video viewers learn that different types of rubber have different properties. Show this in your physical science unit when teaching the...
Curated OER
NASA: Law of Conservation of Energy
Cute animations and an animated narrator lead young physicists through kinetic energy calculations. The law of conservation of energy is also explored. The quality of visuals is somewhat blurry, but because of the enthusiasm and clarity,...
Curated OER
Bowling Ball- Conservation of Energy
A homemade video of a physics teacher demonstrating the conservation of energy with a bowling ball pendulum. It is entertaining because he stands against a wall and releases the ball right in front of his face, trusting that because of...
Curated OER
STEMbite: Energy Transfer
Terrific toys turn into a demonstration of the transfer of energy. Potential energy becomes kinetic energy as the wind-up toy walks, a popper flies into the air, and a balloon whizzes when the air inside is expelled. The concept of...
Bill Nye
Bill Nye The Science Guy on Energy
Energize your physical scientists with this little video on potential and kinetic energy, transformation of energy, and the generating of electricity. Bill Nye walks viewers through the process of burning coal to create steam, turn a...
Curated OER
Conservation of Energy
What is the point of the concepts of energy? Sal tackles this question in this video. After an explanation of conservation of energy, he works to describe how potential energy converts into kinetic energy. He uses an example of an uneven...
Curated OER
Work and Energy (Part 2)
After reviewing the equation and terms from the previous video, Sal, the narrator, works through an example of an item that is fighting with the force of gravity. He introduces potential energy and begins to explain conservation of...
Curated OER
Work and Energy (Part 1)
Start working with work and energy with your higher-level physics class. The narrator, Sal, starts off with defintions of the two terms, showing how they are related to one another. He then goes into an example and derives a formula for...
Curated OER
Video 9 - Kinetic Energy
Using a game of billiards to model kinetic engergy, a video explains the relationship between work and energy and how energy is transferred. The billiard balls are a nice example because each ball has the same mass and weight. Class...
Curated OER
How Compressors Work
Two types of air compressors are shown to viewers, piece by piece. This video is educational, but long and detailed. Unless your young engineers have a keen interest in air compressors, it may not be worth showing in class.