Curated OER
Friction
Students compare and contrast the movement of objects on different surfaces, experimenting with friction and forces of motion. This friction instructional activity has numerous online tools including worksheets and virtual activities;...
Curated OER
Simple Harmonic Motion
Back and forth, and back again. A presentation on harmonic motion would make a great backdrop for a directed instruction lesson in Honors Physics. It includes diagrams, formulas, graphs, and a few sample problems.
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Acceleration
Take a look at acceleration within the context of automotive technology. They vary the mass on a toy car and run it down a ramp, exploring Newton's second law of motion. Though this is a classic lab activity, you will appreciate the...
Curated OER
Making a Leprechaun Trap
How do you trap a Leprechaun? Young scholars will use their knowledge of force and motion to make working leprechaun traps.
Concord Consortium
Pendulum and Spring
Up, down, back, and forth. When you make a pendulum out of a spring, there's a lot to observe. Aspiring masters of motion examine the combined kinetic energies of spring and pendulum motion using a detailed interactive. Learners observe...
Curated OER
Freestanding Structures: A Tech Museum Floor Activity
Students attempt to design the tallest structure that they can with the given materials which are wooden dowels and rubber bands. They discuss the physics of their structure and how they would improve it the next time they built a...
Kenan Fellows
The Newton Challenge
Make Newton proud. Scholars apply their understanding of forces and energy to an engineering design challenge. They learn about simple machines, create a presentation on Newton's laws, and develop a balloon-powered car.
Curated OER
Motion Commotion!
Students explore the drawings of Rube Goldberg to design and construct a simple machine. They discuss simple machines, and using various materials and toy parts, design and construct a "Rube Goldberg" style machine to ring a bell.
Teach Engineering
Ramp and Review (for High School)
Rolling for momentum. As part of a study of mechanical energy, momentum, and friction, class members experiment rolling a ball down an incline and having it collide with a cup. Groups take multiple measurements and perform...
Curated OER
Velocity and Acceleration
Compliment your physics lesson with this PowerPoint which demonstrates many important points regarding acceleration and velocity. A starter experiment activity to stimulate student thinking is given, and may prove very interesting to a...
Curated OER
F = ma, Inertia, and Action-Reaction
Fourth graders apply concepts of Newton's Laws in scientific inquiries. Use this lesson plan to have your charges test and identify the characteristics of objects that make them easier or harder to push. After a teacher-led...
Curated OER
Forces in Action
Second graders experiment to understand how force is effected by friction. In this forces in action lesson plan, 2nd graders view a website to simulate what happens when the height of a ramp is changed. Students participate in an...
National Research Center for Career and Technical Education
STEM: Lou-Vee Air Car
A comprehensive lesson on acceleration awaits your physicists and engineers! Two YouTube videos pique their interest, then sample F=ma problems are worked and graphed. The highlight of the lesson is the building of a Lou-Vee air car!...
Curated OER
Hooke's Law, Vibrations, Mechanical Waves, and Sound
Dangle a spring to experiment with vibration and discover if period is dependent on amplitude. Strum a guitar and adjust the strings to compare displacement and sound. Use a Slinky® and guitar strings on a ring stand to uncover the...
Curated OER
Student Exploration: Force and Fan Carts
In this force and fan carts worksheet, students use the internet program Gizmo to explore force and fan carts. Students answer 28 questions.
Curated OER
Force and Motion
In this force and motion worksheet, students read six paragraphs with numbered sentences about force and the laws of motion and answer one question.
Teach Engineering
May the Force Be With You: Thrust
Force the plane through the air. The lesson introduces the force on an airplane that makes it go forward. Pupils learn how Newton's laws of motion apply to flight in the eighth segment of a 22-part unit on flight.
Henry Ford Museum
Physics, Technology and Engineering in Automobile Racing
Start your engines! This five-lesson unit introduces physics and Newton's laws through automobile racing. Each lesson includes background information, a student worksheet, and an answer key. There are also culminating...
Bowels Physics
Newton's Third Law and Law of Gravitation
Why was Sir Newton so important to the field of science? Pupils discuss his contributions, specifically his Third Law, as they learn about gravity and the center of mass. They work multiple problems to ensure their understanding and...
Chemistry Collective
Brownian Motion
Explore particle motion between solute and solvents. An interactive simulation allows learners to observe the motion of solute particles as they interact with the solvent particles. It provides an option for including...
Overcoming Obstacles
Weighing Options and Consequences
When making decisions, it might be wise to revise Newton's Third Law of Motion to read, "For every decision, there are options and consequences." Although in decision-making, not all these forces may be equal. The third lesson in the...
Curated OER
Introduction to Forces and Inertia
Learners explore the basic underlying concepts of Newton's first law of motion. They discuss forces and brainstorm different examples of force and what they act on. Students examine force by observing springs and gravity. They discuss...
Curated OER
Forces and Newton's Laws Unit
Young scholars participate in lessons on Forces and Newton's Laws by selecting activities and assignments to complete in a Layer Unit. Students select assignments and activities in the C Level, B Level, and A Level.
Curated OER
Newton's Laws of Motion
Ninth graders utilize Newton's Laws of Motion to explain how things move, create poster illustrating each law of motion, and present and explain their poster to classmates.