For this doing work worksheet, students calculate how a ramp can increase the efficiency of the work done by decreasing the force necessary to complete the task. This worksheet has 9 problems to solve.

Ninth graders explore physics with springs and strings. In this force and motion lesson, 9th graders rotate through four stations exploring how various springs stretch and bounce, and how mass and length affect a pendulum's swing. They...

Students discover what simple machines are and identify a gear, a pulley, and a lever. In teams, they build at least two models each of simple machines and challenge them with specific instruction cards. Finally, students present and...

Here is a six-minute video of a pair of electrical engineers that illustrate how to build a wind turbine. A list of materials is provided, along with general guidelines for your class. Use this to introduce turbine design to your...

The biggest magnet in the world is at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and can reach 100 tesla. By comparison, magnets that lift cars are about two tesla. The 11th presentation in this series covers magnetism,...

Students study the physics used to design today's roller coasters.  For this engineering lesson students complete several activities including designing their own roller coaster. 

Students investigate Bernoulli's principle of air pressure and how it relates to the lift of an airplane. Students identify various Aeronautical vocabulary terms. Students construct a paper glider and experiment with the control surfaces...

Young scholars 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...

Students use FoilSim (downloadable) to determine how lift is affected by varying parameters on the Airfoil simulation.

In this "to break" exercise, students fill in the blanks with the phrases of "to break". Students fill in the blanks for 10 sentences with the phrases of "to break".

Learners explain and explain the interactive relationships between forces of lift and gravity, thrust and drag, as they apply to airplanes in motion. They know that Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the first airplane based on these...

Students use the World Wide Web to access and use FoilSim. They also use the World Wide Web to access the NASA Glenn Web site for information relative to the factors involved with the flight of an airplane.

Students utilize the process of scientific inquiry and technological design to explain thrust, weight, lift and drag in flight. They design an "airplane" to test the "mechanics" of flight. In addition, they brainstorm and sketch a design...

Science stars examine the concept of energy by thinking about everyday situations. The lesson plan is incohesive. It lists goals for the student, but doesn't address all of them in the content. The best use of this resource would simply...

Prepare your special education class for a healthy life. They visit with a nutritionist, practice simple exercises, and discuss healthy food choices. They then make goals for weight loss and management. Additional supporting activity...

If you need to teach about power, this is an outstanding educational resource! It provides definitions of work and power, and gives examples to help junior physicists apply the information. The format is neat and the graphics are...

In this equations activity, students practice solving problems using the equation for mechanical advantage. Students complete 2 problems.

The principles and uses of inclined planes, screws, and wedges are the focus of a science lesson. In it, youngsters come up with every day examples of simple machines, and build an example of one in class. That project is then used to...

Students use a rotating wheel to move an object.

Students discuss that the conservatin of energy states that the energy imput must equal the energy output. They then figure out how can a machine help you to perform task otherwise considered impossible? Students discuss the six simple...

The intent of this worksheet is to provide physics scholars with practice solving power problems. Seven different word problems are presented. Learners use formulas for energy and power to determine what it takes for boxes to be lifted,...

Students construct a paper glider. In this physics of gliding lesson, students first learn about Borneo and it's rainforest habitat. After students discover the way animals in Borneo glide from tree to tree, they use their newly acquired...

Middle schoolers discover the basic principles of aerodynamics, including the roles and identity of natural forces involved. They examine how the force of gravity is overcome by the curved shape of an airplane wing and air pressure.

How can people control a hot air balloon? The simple simulation allows scholars to adjust the payload mass, burner, and vent position on a hot air balloon and observe the changes in velocity and altitude over time. Challenge questions...