Through ten lessons and numerous activities, students explore the natural universal rules engineers and physicists use to understand how things move and stay still. Together, these rules are called "mechanics." The study of mechanics is...

This unit teaches students how and why engineers design satellites to benefit life on Earth as well as allows students an opportunity to explore motion, rockets and rocket motion. Students discover that the motion of all objects...

The large scale horizontal flow of air in the atmosphere is driven by the imbalance of net radiation over the globe. This resource introduces us to the physical laws governing the horizontal motion of air. It also describes types of...

Outstanding information (and a lot of it) on gas turbine (jet) engines. Describes the history behind their development and the theory behind their operation. Well written and includes very informative graphics.

An interactive simulation that teaches about gravitational force, Newton's Third Law, and force pairs by varying properties affect the gravitational force exerted between two objects. This simulation can either be downloaded or played...

How does an airplane stay aloft when upside down? This media-rich essay from the NOVA Web site offers an explanation based on Newton's third law of motion.

This experiment examines Newton's Second Law of Motion. Learn how centrifugal and centripetal force help to keep a marble in a can when turned upside down.

From a chapter on Linear Momentum and Collisions in a Physics textbook. This section of the chapter discusses Newton's third law of motion in the context of rocket and jet engine propulsion. Students learn how to calculate a rocket's...

By the end of this section, you will be able to state Newton's third law of motion, explain the principle involved in propulsion of rockets and jet engines, derive an expression for the acceleration of the rocket , discuss the factors...

Explanation of how astronomers and scientist developed the current theories of gravity.

Physiclips thoroughly presents mechanics concepts with animations and film clips.

The funny thing about friction is that you couldn't get anywhere without it, yet it still acts to slow you down as you're getting there. Here is an easy project to measure the effects of friction.

Hands on activity where students focus on aerospace engineering to investigate space flight from the viewpoint of an engineer. They design, build, and launch their rocket, then share their experiences with the class.

Are you studying or teaching Aerodynamics? This page acts as an index to all the terminology related to this topic. Clicking on any title will open a page with a colored slide and a scientific explanation of the contents. Animated,...

Supernovae are divided into two basic physical types, including a description of supernova types and how they are classified based on the existence of hydrogen spectral lines. Definitions of key terms are provided.

Student groups are provided with a generic car base on which to design a device/enclosure to protect an egg as it rolls down a ramp at increasing slopes. During this activity, student teams design, build and test their prototype...

Have you ever ridden on a Roller Racer or Plasma Car? These are ride-on toys that you move ahead by moving the steering mechanism back and forth. You've probably seen skateboarders "slaloming" on level ground to keep rolling, it's...

Activity uses scientific process to explore the effects of force on an object in motion.

Whether your child is lost in a haze of elementary grammar rules, sinking fast in a jumble of Newton's laws in middle school, or lost in the details of an AP biology class, you need help quickly, before your child falls way behind the...

Students use a temperature probe to collect data as the warmed probe cools. Students investigate Newton's law of cooling and model cooling data with an exponential function. They fit the data to a mathematical model after analysis.

NBC Learn, in partnership with the United States Golf Association, uncovers the science, technology, engineering and math behind the game of golf. For lesson plans provided by the National Science Teachers Association, open the video and...

[Free Registration/Login Required] Learn about torque balance in the context of a medieval drawbridge using this interactive simulation. A PDF worksheet and a video tutorial are also available. [3:47]

See how forces affect various items that are pushed or pulled.

Variation on the standard Atwood's Machine model, where one hanging mass swings like a pendulum and the other remains stationary. Manipulate the conditions and observe the results.