This instructional activity certainly will not be a drag! Little engineers design parachutes that make use of air resistance and, as a result, slow the descent of the payload as much as possible. It is an opportunity to teach about many...

Students design an experiment to investigate how objects with different masses fall. For this physics lesson, students predict how these objects will fall in a vacuum tube. They write a report explaining experimental results and conclusion.

Middle schoolers recognize the effect of Earth's gravity on an object's weight. For this force and motion lesson students understand the role of gravity when you drop an object. Middle schoolers experiment with small items. Students...

Middle schoolers calculate effects of gravitational force on planets, discuss the effects of weightlessness on the human body and describe and demonstrate how objects in a state of free fall are accelerated by gravity at an equal rate.

In this force and acceleration worksheet, students solve 3 problems about moving objects, the forces working against them, the mass and their acceleration. Students determine if 6 statements about a falling elephant and a falling feather...

In this math worksheet, students are given 8 questions regarding Kepler's first law of motion. The questions include definitions, short essay explanations, and formulaic expressions.

Fifth graders record at least four hypotheses concerning what happens when they drop an egg from a high spot. They record at least five observations or supporting ideas about the egg drop. Students test gravity by dropping an egg from a...

Students see that light and heavy objects fall at the same rate, as established experimentally by Galileo. They see that falling objects, and balls rolling down an incline, tend to accelerate at a constant rate a. Their velocity...

In this universal gravitation worksheet, middle schoolers fill in the blanks to complete sentences with 11 given terms about gravity, inertia, acceleration, mass and force. Students also answer 7 questions about mass, weight and force.

Students perform inquiry in response to the question "Do objects fall at the same rate?", teacher candidates discuss a model experiment for secondary students to discover the answer, including recording and analyzing data.

Physics stars will enjoy learning about the conservation of energy as you demonstrate gyroscope precession. The lecture is broken into five subtopics: cross product, rotating vectors, angular momentum, rotating rigid bodies, and torque...

High school physicists demonstrate Bernoulli's Principle by blowing on different items and finding that they do not move in the expected direction! They apply Bernoulli's equation to the flight of an airplane. This well-organized lesson...

Using a dry cleaner bag and a blow dryer, create a hot air balloon! The materials list suggests obtaining one dry cleaner bag per student, but since this is probably inconvenient, consider doing this as a demonstration during a activity...

Students investigate the interdependence of mass and gravitational acceleration using computer simulation. In this physics instructional activity, students derive the formula for acceleration due to gravity. They calculate air resistance...

Seven problems regarding gravitational pull are presented in this physics drill. Pupils solve for displacement, time, speed, and acceleration. Critical thinking and problem solving skills are both required to complete the assignment. 

An interesting worksheet on force and inertia is here for your young scientists. The worksheet is meant to be used as a vehicle for oral interviews. There are three questions about force and seven questions regarding intertia. Very good!

A parachute is probably a good idea. An engaging lesson has pupils brainstorm ways to slow the descent of a falling object to minimize the impact when it lands. They decide on a design, build a prototype, test it out, and then make...

You have to crack a few eggs to make a good engineer! Working in small groups, young scholars design, build, and test devices that protect an egg from breaking when dropped from a ladder.

Fourth graders apply concepts of Newton's Laws in scientific inquiries. Use this lesson to have your charges test and identify the characteristics of objects that make them easier or harder to push. After a teacher-led demonstration,...

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.

In this math worksheet, students answer 7 questions having to do with graphing derivatives of functions, rectilinear motion, speed and distance.

Introduce your young scholars to the concepts of circular motion, projectile motion, angular speed, simple harmonic motion, torque, center of mass, centripetal force, and Hooke's Law with a 86-slide presentation. The circular motion...

At the end of a general physics course focused on light and electricity, you can administer this exam. Concepts covered include electromagnetism, circuits, induction, light rays, lenses and mirrors, characteristics of light, electron...

Sixth graders compare and contrast mass and weight. In this physics lesson, 6th graders calculate speed given distance and time information. They construct a rocket and relate this to Newton's 3rd Law of motion.