Curated OER
May the Force be with You -- All about Force and Gravity
Here is a fabulous set of teacher's notes that will make your next hands-on gravity and force lab fun and interesting. These notes provide you with three activities that allow children to make and test hypothesis regarding force,...
Messenger Education
Give Me a Boost—How Gravity Assists Aid Space Exploration
The propellant needed for space explorations runs in the thousands, while paying to get the craft into orbit costs millions! In the second installment of three, two activities explore laws of conservation of energy and momentum. Using...
CK-12 Foundation
Bumper Cars
Is the transfer of energy different in bumper cars with stable versus bouncy bumpers? One of the variables explored in the simulation is bumper type; other variables are the mass and velocity of each car. This allows pupils to see the...
Curated OER
When Push Comes to Crunch
Eighth graders engage in an experiment which uses an inclined plane and balls of various masses to determine the effect a large object has on a small object. They study velocity, momentum, gravity and forces.
Curated OER
Ramp and Review
Students participate in an activity in which they observe a ball as it rolls down an incline into a cup. They take measurements and use equations that describe the concepts of mechanical energy, work and power, momentum, and friction. ...
Curated OER
Bouncing Balls
Students work together to examine how different types of balls react to colliding with different surfaces. They discover the difference between elastic and inelastic collisions. They practice calculating momentum as well.
Curated OER
Top Quark Lab
Pupils find the mass of the top quark. In this physics lesson, students create a vector diagram from a given set of data. They discuss their calculations and findings in class.
Curated OER
Momentum
High schoolers learn the concepts of momentum and its conservation, using the recoil of a cannon as an example. They examine how momentum is a vector, allowing its conservation to be applied to problems in 2 and 3 dimensions.
Curated OER
Activity Three Teacher Page: Collisions
Students after completing this lesson, identify variables that affect the system, and specify which variables are independent; which are dependent. They represent data in a data table and a graph and analyze data and make predictions.
Curated OER
Potato Launcher Energy Lab
Pupils investigate conservation laws using a potato launcher. In this physics lesson plan, students measure angles, time and distance of the potato. They discuss applications of experiments like this.
Curated OER
Cosmic Ray Momentum
Students describe how cosmic rays achieve high kinetic energy via conservation of momentum.
Curated OER
Force and Motion
Each of the slides here gives a definition, equation, or calculation example for a component of force and motion. This large collection covers topics from momentum and Newton's laws to centripetal forces and simple machines. Animations...
Urbana School District
Light
You matter, unless you multiply yourself by the speed of light ... then you energy. Presentation covers the behavior of light as both a wave and a particle, light versus sound, space travel, why objects have colors, depth perception,...
Curated OER
Roller Coasters in the Classroom
Students define kinetic energy and know the effects of weight and speed on momentum. In this investigative lesson students get into groups and design a roller coaster.
Curated OER
ROLLER COASTERS IN THE CLASSROOM
Students define potential and kinetic energy and explain the relationship of height to potential energy. In this roller coaster lesson students construct a model of a roller coaster which will allow them to see the basic physical laws.
Curated OER
Ultimate Ride Coaster Deluxe
Eighth graders describe the energy transformations as cars travel over a roller coaster. They explain the principle of conservation of energy as it relates to a roller coaster ride. The integration of technology is done using educational...
Curated OER
Force/Newton's Laws/Friction
Learners describe how to recognize a force, define balanced and net forces, state Newton's first law of motion, explain why friction works, state Newton's second Law of Motion, and explain why the direction of force is important.
Discovery Education
Cushion It!
Sugar cubes, collide! Groups design protection systems using bubble wrap to protect sugar cubes from being destroyed by falling batteries in the STEM lesson. They consider how the experiment relates to collisions in real-world...
LABScI
Kinematics: The Gravity Lab
Falling objects can be brutal if you don't protect your noodle! Scholars explore the motion of falling objects through measuring short intervals to determine if the distance traveled varies with time. Building off of this, scholars...
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 project...
Rice University
College Physics for AP® Courses
Take a look at an organized physics course. The 34-section electronic textbook covers material in AP® Physics 1 and 2. Teachers use the text to supplement lectures and have the class work through the labs. Each section contains multiple...
College Board
AP Physics 1 and 2 Inquiry-Based Lab Investigations
Have you ever wondered what type of AP Physics investigations The College Board wants? This is the guide for you! Sixteen labs covering both Physics I and II will get you started and inspire you to meet the requirement of 25 percent of...
Curated OER
Mousetrap Cars
Use mousetrap cars to make hands on connections with concepts such as energy, friction, momentum, and simple machines.
Curated OER
Building a Roller Coaster
Students describe the law of conservation of energy. They identify the conversion between potential and kinetic energy. They investigate and describe the application of Newton's Laws of Motion.