Students explore the nature and magnitude of gravitational forces.  In this gravitation activity students study gravity and answer questions. 

Learners explore ocean tides. They research how the sun, moon and earth affect the tides. Students draw a diagram illustrating low tides and high tides. They discuss the affect of gravitational pull on the oceans.

In this gradient operator and gradient fields worksheet, students determine if two vectors are gradient fields. They solve for the appropriate scalar functions of a vector variable. Students show that the gravitation al force exerted on...

Students calculate gravitational potential energy for any situation. They use two scenarios to evaluate gravitational potential energy in relation to conservation of energy. They verify that the gravitational potential energy function...

Students create a KWL chart about gravity. In this astronomy class, students investigate the nature of gravity. They discuss common misconceptions and address them.

Students develop problem-solving strategies dealing with Kepler's laws of planetary motion. they examine the law of universal gravitation and continue with problem-solving strategies. Students complete a take-home quiz.

Attracted class members to an activity-packed journey through the science behind the invisible forces at work all around us. From jump rope generators to junkyard wars, there's never a dull moment when eighth grade physics scholars...

Getting a ship into orbit isn't rocket science. Oh, wait...that's exactly what it is! Learn the basics of the concepts of thrust, launch angle, and gravitational pull in this fun and progressively challenging game.

A flipped classroom lesson introduces astrophysics fanatics to Kepler's three laws of planetary motion. After reading about the laws of ellipses, equal areas, and harmonies, and also learning how Newton's gravitation concepts come into...

Explore the center of gravity with your science class as they create a deadfall trap with common materials. They research the concepts of energy conservation and gravitational force before dividing into small groups to create a model of...

How would a pendulum work on the moon or Jupiter? To answer that question scholars control up to two pendulums including their location, length, mass, and amplitude. Added controls include changing the friction and strength of gravity....

Is it possible for a rectangle to have the same area and perimeter? If you disregard units, it happens! In a challenging task, groups work to determine the rectangles that meet these criterion. The hope is that learners will naturally...

Let the star's color be the guide! The color of a star indicates its temperature and its mass and distance affect the gravitational force. The lesson presentations address these concepts as well as how the theory of special relativity...

Even light cannot leave the force of a black hole! Learners use a model to explore the gravitational force of a black hole. An elastic bandage and heavy ball serve to create the hole, while marbles become the victims of its strong force.

Three memorable activities build on each other to give physics masters a firm grasp of Newton's Second Law. Pupils play with a lab cart on a flat surface and on an incline to confirm that force is equal to mass times acceleration. In the...

If you weren't already blown away by first two installments, check out this clip on how gravity and space-time interact! Our physicist friends, Pontzen and Whyntie, continue their discussion of these motion concepts for your high...

Fourth graders explore the earth's gravitational force. They discuss objects in motion and the concepts of pulls and pushes. Students investigate the idea that falling and gravity can be useful in connection with various sports...

Tenth graders experiment with detection techniques for black holes by modeling the rotation of galaxies with larger and larger masses in the center. They discover while some events cannot be directly observed they may be observable in...

In this alternative energy resources worksheet, students read and describe the advantages to using tidal power. Then they identify and list some of the disadvantages to using tidal power as mentioned in the brief excerpt read. Students...

In this earth, moon, and sun orbits worksheets, students will read the cause of four different events that focus on the earth's rotation around the sun and the moon's rotation around the earth. Then students will write in the effect of...

Students explore their weight on other planets. For this science lesson, students view a presentation about the other planets and complete a worksheet in which they make predictions about their weight on the moon and other planets.

What kind of pears do electricians eat? Amperes! Presentation begins with electric field vectors for various charge configurations and field strengths for both point charges and uniform fields. It continues with various surfaces,...

Low tides, high tides, spring tides, neap tides, diurnal tides, semidiurnal tides, mixed tides ... just how many types of tides are there? The 10th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO)...

Spring into elastic potential energy with a lesson that provides background information on determining the elastic potential energy of springs and other elastic materials. General energy equations emphasize the conservation of...