Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Discovering Velocity Outside of the Classroom
A physics lab activity where students gather data from classmates running at different rates on a football field. They then share their gathered data and transfer it to a graphing program to ultimately calculate average velocity.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Navigating at the Speed of Satellites
For thousands of years, navigators have looked to the sky for direction. Today, celestial navigation has simply switched from using natural objects to human-created satellites. A constellation of satellites, called the Global Positioning...
Other
Ask Numbers: Measurement Conversion Calculators and Charts
What kind of unit conversion would you like to do? This site will allow you to do a multitude of conversions. Just click on the specific measurement you are needing to convert. It also provides a history of measurements and a chart of...
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Episd: Position Time Graphs
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Understand how to evaluate data presented in graphs based on speed and velocity calculations.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Projectile Motion
Students are introduced to the concept of projectile motion, of which they are often familiar from life experiences,such as playing sports such as basketball or baseball, even though they may not understand the physics involved. Students...
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Nctm: Figure This: The Race [Pdf]
A challenge that combines skills in problem solving and logical reasoning. See if you can figure out who will win the race by determining the rate of speed of each runner. A one page activity from NCTM Math Challenges for Families...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Velocity: Lesson 3
This lesson will introduce the concept of velocity, explaining what it is, how it is calculated, and common units used to represent it. It is 3 of 3 in the series titled "Velocity."
Physics Aviary
Physics Aviary: Practice Problems: Motion on Incline Level 2
Students must calculate the distance an object will move up an incline using Newton's Laws. Mass, angle, gravitational field, coefficient of friction and initial speed will be generated randomly.
University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge: Nrich: Bike Ride
On this one page website sharpen your logic and rate measurement skills while working on this challenge. The solution is available to double check your solution.
University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge: Nrich: Walk and Ride
On this one page website sharpen your logic and rate measurement skills while working on this challenge. The solution is available to double check your solution.
University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge: Nrich: The Hare and the Tortoise
On this one page website sharpen your logic and rate measurement skills while working on this challenge. The solution is available to double check your solution.
PE Central
Pe Central: Pe Lesson Ideas: How Far to Mount Katahdin
Organized into 5 parts, this lesson combines physical activity with academic subjects including math, health, and geography. In part I, students calculate how many steps it would take to complete the Appalachian Trail. In parts II and...
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: The Science of Racing: Newton Knew
For race car engineers, F = m a, is the backbone of the vast majority of calculations. The selection of gear ratios is one example. Investigate and create a mathematical model for the relationship between force, speed, mass, distance and...
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: 8.g Bird and Dog Race
In this race between a bird and a dog, 8th graders are provided with information about their starting locations on a map and their speeds. They are asked to predict a winner, draw the paths they might follow, decide how to determine who...
Physics Aviary
Physics Aviary: Practice Problems: Soccer Shot Simple
Students must calculate the maximum distance they can be from an soccer net and still hit a randomly generated target. The speed and angle of the kick will be generated randomly.
University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge: Maths and Sports: Alternative Record Books
Take a look at the amazing limits that athletes push themselves to in search of Olympic glory. Which events see the fastest speeds, furthest distances and highest forces? This activity challenges students to undertake some research,...
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Scientific American: Calls of the Wild: Bats and Echolocation
Explore bats' navigation systems by experimenting with echolocation. Approximate an object's distance by analyzing reflected sound waves, measuring the delay in sound and calculating the ratio to the speed of sound.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Math Space Odyssey: How Long Is a Light Year?
This lesson helps students to demonstrate the ability to use a light year as a standard of measurement to calculate time and distance from the earth. They will also solve problems based on light years.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: How Fast Do Seismic Waves Travel?
Here's a geology project that uses historical seismograph data that you can collect from the comfort of your own computer. You'll use a web interface to a network of seismometers run by the Northern California Earthquake Data Center, at...
Other
Sprk: Macro Lab Lesson 4 Percentages: Teacher Guide [Pdf]
Students will use Sphero to explore percentages using speed and color. The speed experiments are quantitative and the color experiments are qualitative. They will program the Sphero to move at 100% speed for a particular amount of time,...
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: A Steep Hike Adventure 3
Students use the CBR 2 to gather distance and time data for various walking speeds. They observe the effect of change in direction and speed of motion on distance versus time graphs. Students interpret and analyze graphs, calculate slope...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: It's About Time
In past times, ocean navigators tossed a piece of wood over the side of their ships and noted how long until the ship passed the wood. They used this time measurement and the length of the ship to calculate their speed and estimate how...
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Ti 89 Riemann Sum Activities for Calculus
In this Computer Algebra System (CAS) activity students use Riemann sums to estimate the distance traveled on a trip at various speeds. They utilize the concept of Riemann sums to calculate the area under a curve. Students find limits of...
Physics Aviary
Physics Aviary: Car Acceleration
Calculate the final speed and the distanced covered by a car that is accelerating because of a certain set of forces acting on the car.