Curated OER
Untitled Document Aerospace Team Online:
Students explain the historical significance of use of the scientific method in developing the first airplane and appreciate the process involved in developing a new technology.
Curated OER
Solar Race Cars
Students explore the relationship between time traveled, distance and speed. In this solar race car lesson students wire solar batteries using series and parallel circuitry.
Curated OER
Does Weight Affect Drag?
Students investigate how weight affects a parachute's rate of fall. In this investigative lesson students test parachutes, average results and conclude what makes a faster descent.
Curated OER
Friction This
Students investigate road surface and calculate speed. In this algebra lesson, students analyze the roughness of a road and calculate distance and speed based on friction. They relate friction and energy to speed.
Curated OER
Potential and Kinetic Energy
Sixth graders explore potential and kinetic energy. For this science lesson, 6th graders assume the role of a roller coaster engineer and design a roller coaster. Students use their knowledge of kinetic and potential energy to design a...
Curated OER
Hot Friction
Sixth graders use small electronic devices known as thermistors to measure the temperature beneath an object such as a coffee cup as it slides across a surface. By choosing different surfaces, 6th graders can compare in a quantitative...
Curated OER
Design of Airfoil for Given Lift
Students use FoilSim to design an airplane wing that generates a given lift. As they change parameters such as airspeed, altitude, angle of attack, thickness and curvature of the airfoil, and size of the wing area, the software...
Curated OER
Skyscraper Capers
Students discuss skyscrapers and listen as the teacher introduces the project. They use the Internet to perform research on one skyscraper. Students use information they gather to create a brochure of their building . They create an...
Curated OER
Did You Catch My Drift?
Students, through the use of the Curveball interactive software package, become familiar with the way in which the flow of air across or around an object affects its ability to lift, spin, and curve. After reading the explanation given...
Curated OER
Looking into Eratosthenes' Radius of the Earth
Learners, in small groups, research Eratosthenes and his calculations of the Earth's radius. They write a summary of the person, the experiments and his calculations to determine how accurate Eratosthenes was in his estimations of the...
Curated OER
Characteristics of Lift and Wing Area
Students use FoilSim to complete the activity and investigate the factors that affect lift and how wing area and lift are related.
Curated OER
Good Vibrations
Students demonstrate sound waves and make changes in the waves
resulting in changes in pitch. Students associate changes in pitch in various "musical instruments"with size and shape and the sound waves they produce.
Curated OER
Propulsion Pop!
Young scholars demonstrate an understanding of the text by completing a propulsion activity, charting the results, and answering questions that demonstrate an understanding of rocket propulsion.
Curated OER
Wind Gauges
Students use FoilSim interactive software to become familiar with the way in which the flow of air across or around an airfoil affects its ability to create lift.
Curated OER
Using FoilSim to Measure Your Elevation
Students, after designing model wings, demonstrate an understanding of wing design by testing models of the wing types both experimentally and by computer modeling in FoilSim and then presenting their results.
Curated OER
Design of Airfoils and Problem- Solving Using FoilSim
Ninth graders, after reading the explanation given below, complete the problem-solving activities to demonstrate an understanding of the concepts presented.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Analyzing Forces and Motion Graphs by Riding an Elevator
A high school physics lab on classical mechanics in which students study force versus time and acceleration versus time. Students need access to an elevator to complete the experiments. A lab handout is provided.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Motion Graphing Speed
In this introduction to motion activity, students will get a personal understanding of speed and acceleration by experiencing it firsthand. Wheeled office chairs or other cart like devices are used to give one student a ride as a fellow...
BioEd Online
Bio Ed Online: Balloon Blast
In the following lesson students are asked to devise a plan to measure the distance of a balloon's flight, predict the direction a balloon will travel as it deflates, learn about Newton's Laws of Motion, experience Newton's Third Law,...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Newton's Second Law: How Does Acceleration Change With Varying Forces?
In this lab activity, students investigate the effects of changing force on the acceleration of a lab cart testing Newton's Second Law of Motion. They will use distance and time to calculate velocity and create a graph representing their...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Best Amount of Water to Fly a Bottle Rocket
In this rocket experiment, students will investigate the question, "Which amount of water will cause the rocket to stay in the air the longest?" Students will compare how long the rocket was in the air with how much water was in the...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Pendulums Swing Into Motion
This lesson will allow students in groups to describe the relationship between energy, work, and force through the use of pendulums. The results will be reported through a graphing activity as well as a paragraph written and printed on...
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Classroom Activities: Parachuting
This activity explores a parachutist and her position, velocity and acceleration. Graphing and calculating these functions will be required.
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)
Smile: Lab Work Forces & Acceleration
The Illinois Institute of Technology provides this site. The site contains a graphing activity which illustrates that a constant force exerted upon an object results in constant acceleration. Rolling carts and stopwatches are used to...