Curated OER
Impulse, Momentum, and the Conservation of Momentum
What happens when two worlds collide? In the first of several activities, future physicists experiment with colliding ball bearings or Newton's cradle. Another activity requires the use of an air track with cars to examine collision....
LABScI
Conservation of Momentum: Marble Collisions
What happens to the momentum of an object when it strikes another object? Scholars roll a marble down a ramp so it collides with another marble. By measuring the speed of each marble before and after the collision, pupils answer this...
College Board
AP Physics 1 and 2 Inquiry-Based Lab Investigations
Have you ever wondered what type of AP Physics investigations The College Board wants? This is the guide for you! Sixteen labs covering both Physics I and II will get you started and inspire you to meet the requirement of 25 percent of...
National Science Teachers Association
Paper Car Crash Design
High school physical scientists collide with motion. They work in pairs to design a paper car that will protect a raw egg during a head-on collision. Measurements of distance traveled, time of run, vehicle specs, and photo gate flags are...
LABScI
Potential and Kinetic Energy: The Roller Coaster Lab
Ron Toomer, a famous roller coaster designer, suffered from motion sickness. Pupils design their own roller coasters, learning about potential and kinetic energy in the process. Labs focus on the importance of drop height, energy...
Curated OER
Impulse/Momentum Lab
Learners investigate the relationship between force and momentum using motion detectors and sensors. In this physics lesson, students graph experimental results. They calculate impulse using the area under the graph.
Curated OER
Qualitative Aspects of Rotational Dynamics
Explanations for six different physics lab activities and five suggested assessments are contained in this resource by the National Science Teachers Association. Any combination can be used to open learners' eyes to rotational motion....
Curated OER
May the Force be with You -- All about Force and Gravity
Here is a fabulous set of teacher's notes that will make your next hands-on gravity and force lab fun and interesting. These notes provide you with three activities that allow children to make and test hypothesis regarding force,...
Curated OER
Top Quark Lab
Pupils find the mass of the top quark. In this physics lesson, students create a vector diagram from a given set of data. They discuss their calculations and findings in class.
LABScI
Kinematics: The Gravity Lab
Falling objects can be brutal if you don't protect your noodle! Scholars explore the motion of falling objects through measuring short intervals to determine if the distance traveled varies with time. Building off of this, scholars...
University of California
Marble Rollercoasters
Don't let your classes coast through school! Engage them in their learning as they build their own roller coasters to study potential and kinetic energy. Young scholars complete several challenges that require them to consider the...
Curated OER
Momentum and Energy
Students study how to calculate momentum, kinetic, and potential energy. They apply each form of energy to real world situations including demonstrations, watching videos, and designing a Power Point presentation. They investigate in...
Curated OER
Potato Launcher Energy Lab
Pupils investigate conservation laws using a potato launcher. In this physics lesson plan, students measure angles, time and distance of the potato. They discuss applications of experiments like this.
Rice University
College Physics for AP® Courses
Take a look at an organized physics course. The 34-section electronic textbook covers material in AP® Physics 1 and 2. Teachers use the text to supplement lectures and have the class work through the labs. Each section contains multiple...
Curated OER
Let's Outrage the Bull
Students study kinetic and potential energy. In this energy lesson plan, students in grades K-2 understand the differences between kinetic and potential energy. Students in grades 3-5 demonstrate that kinetic and potential energy....
Edmond Public Schools
8th Grade Science Resource Book: Unit 2 - Physics
Get things moving with this extensive collection of physical science resources. Covering the fundamentals of measurement, graphing, lab safety, and experimental design as well as the specific scientific concepts of velocity,...
University of Florida
Understanding Car Crashes: It's Basic Physics!
Make an impact on young physicists with this fun collection of resources. After first watching a video and taking notes on the physics of car crashes, students go on to complete a series of activities that explore the concepts of energy,...
Curated OER
Activity Three Teacher Page: Collisions
Students after completing this lesson, identify variables that affect the system, and specify which variables are independent; which are dependent. They represent data in a data table and a graph and analyze data and make predictions.
Curated OER
Activity Seven -- Picturing Particles (Student Page) A LAB Worksheet
This worksheet lists background information for a lab on the topics of atom smashers, accelerators or colliders. It clearly states the Rules of the Game -- science laws that apply. Student do the lab and track their results in the given...
Curated OER
Cosmic Ray Momentum
Students describe how cosmic rays achieve high kinetic energy via conservation of momentum.
Curated OER
Ultimate Ride Coaster Deluxe
Eighth graders describe the energy transformations as cars travel over a roller coaster. They explain the principle of conservation of energy as it relates to a roller coaster ride. The integration of technology is done using educational...
Curated OER
Ballistic Pendulum Lab
Students determine the muzzle velocity of projectile launcher. In this physics lesson plan, students compare the pendulum method and kinematic method in calculating the initial velocity. They analyze data and discuss results in class.
Curated OER
Investigation of Hooke's Law Lab
Learners determine the spring constant by conducting an investigation. In this physics instructional activity, students collect data and create a graph of force vs. displacement. They compare the results of two different methods to find...
Curated OER
Pendulum Activity
Fourth graders conduct a lab activity that measures the factors that change the swing rate of a pendulum. They create a hypothesis and test it during the experiment. They record their observations using the recording sheets and journal...