University of Colorado
Distance = Rate x Time
Every year, the moon moves 3.8 cm farther from Earth. In the 11th part of 22, classes use the distance formula. They determine the distance to the moon based upon given data and then graph Galileo spacecraft data to determine its movement.
Curated OER
Go The Distance Car Construction
Students build and program a car to drive a specific challenge distance.They must at the end of the lesson, have the car that stops the closest to a challenge distance.
DiscoverE
LIDAR: Mapping with Lasers
We would be lost without maps! How are they made? Introduce junior topographers to LIDAR technology with a fascinating activity. Set up a mock city, then have learners operate a laser measure to determine the shape of the landscape using...
Kenan Fellows
Introduction to a Flight Computer
Keep your hands on the wheel—at all times! Scholars learn why pilots use a flight computer through a high-flying demonstration. Making calculations for speed, distance, or time is automatic if you know how to use a flight computer.
Beyond Benign
Got Gas
How much gas does it take to drive around town? The class uses a variety of mathematical procedures to take a look at the use of gas for transportation. Class members use a different unit to determine the cost of driving a car as opposed...
Mr. E. Science
Motion
An informative presentation covers motion, metric system, conversions, graphing of coordinates and lines, speed, velocity, and acceleration problems, as well as mean calculations. This is the first lesson in a 26-part series.
NASA
Just How Far is That Star?
Pupils often wonder how we know the distance to various stars. Starting with a thought experiment and progressing to a physical experiment, they determine the brightness and distance to various stars. The evaluation requires...
Discovery Education
Sonar & Echolocation
A well-designed, comprehensive, and attractive slide show supports direct instruction on how sonar and echolocation work. Contained within the slides are links to interactive websites and instructions for using apps on a mobile device to...
Curated OER
Going the Distance
Students experiment in small groups to answer the question, "Is there a relationship between ramps and speed?" They apply a formula to calculate the speed of the cars used in the experiment, complete the associate lab report, and...
Curated OER
Measurement via Triangulation
Students utilize triangulation techniques to determine altitudes of objects. An altitude locator is constructed and used to determine the height of a building or a tree. Tangent tables and formulas provide the ratio for the formula to...
Teach Engineering
Energy Basics
Power up your lessons with an energetic resource. Scholars learn about work, force, energy, and power. They consider the relationships between these quantities through hockey puck scenarios and make calculations using formulas.
University of Wisconsin
Measuring Slope for Rain Gardens
The slope of the land is an important feature when considering the erosion that will occur. In this resource, which is part of a rain garden unit, learners calculate the slope of the proposed garden site. Even if you are not planning a...
Curated OER
Train vs. Car: Who Wins?
Ninth graders conduct an experiment demonstrating what happens when a train hits a car using easily accessible materials. They calculate momentum, velocity, and distance using the appropriate formulas. Then they write an incident report...
Curated OER
Measuring the Diameter of the Sun
Ninth graders study the sun and its distance from Earth. In this Sun's diameter lesson plan students examine how measurement data permits accurate measurement of the sun's diameter.
Columbus City Schools
Speed Racers
Who wants to go fast? The answer? Your sixth-grade science superstars! The complete resource offers the ultimate, all-inclusive playbook for mastering the important concepts of speed versus time; distance versus time; and how...
Rainforest Alliance
How Far Away Is a Tropical Rainforest?
If driving to school only takes 10 minutes, then how long does it take to drive to a tropical rainforest in Colombia? Explore the focus question in a lesson that uses measurement tools and formulas to figure out the time and...
Teach Engineering
A Shot Under Pressure
You've got to pump it up! Using the equations for projectile motion and Bernoulli's Principle, class members calculate the water pressure in a water gun. The pupils collect data on the number of pumps and distance traveled in order...
Teach Engineering
Measuring Viscosity
Groups use a marble to determine the viscosity of household fluids. The procedure calls for pupils to measure the amount of time it takes a marble to fall a specified distance in the fluids. Using unit conversions and algebra, the teams...
Curated OER
Principles of Flight: Flying Paper Airplanes
Young scholars investigate ways to enhance an object's flying ability. In this model construction lesson, students construct two paper airplanes, one of which is twice as big as the first. Young scholars compare and contrast...
Curated OER
Describing Motion-Speed
Students study speed and learn how to calculate it. In this investigative lesson students participate in an activity that shows them how to calculate speed then they fill out a worksheet.
Curated OER
Forces and Motion-The Downhill Racer
Students calculate a toy car's velocity and acceleration. For this force and motion lesson, students build ramps and attach a dropper to a toy car, which is released down the ramp. Students calculate and graph velocity and acceleration...
Curated OER
Balloon Powered Race Cars
Students examine Newton's Law of Motion and use the formula to calculate speed. In this laws of motion lesson students create a balloon powered car and calculate its speed and distance.
Curated OER
Sled Kites and Trigonometry
Students study the history of kites and their fundamental properties. In this kites lesson students divide into teams and build and fly kites.
Curated OER
Propellers, Forces and Energy
Students construct a model airplane, measure distance, and calculate velocity. For this creative lesson students work in groups to build a model and use it to calculate distances and velocity.