Try to predict what will happen in three different bumper car collisions. For each collision, you'll be shown two possible outcomes.

Combined with aspects of circular motion, students discover that Kepler's third law follows directly from the law of universal gravitation. This unit will expand upon the conservation of energy principle for problems beyond the confines...

Through illustrated examples and practice problems, students explore the centripetal force requirement. So for an object moving in a circle, there must be an inward force acting upon it in order to cause its inward acceleration.

In this lesson we'll explore how we use fairly simple physics to draw particles which move according to the forces we feel in the real world (such as wind & gravity).

An engineering design process project where you will try different lengths of cardboard tubes to see how far you can blow a marshmallow. Project uses Newton's principles of unbalanced force to shoot the marshmallow far.

Students must determine the power that is being exerted by a motor to pull a person up a frictionless incline.

By the end of this section, you will be able to understand the four basic forces that underlie the processes in nature: gravitational, electromagnetic, weak nuclear, strong nuclear forces.

Experience a simulation of ballistic trajectories in relationship to Earth's orbit. Java 1.5 or more recent is required.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Explains inertia and how it affects motion, the relationship between inertia and mass, and how to overcome inertia.

In this simulation, students pretend to launch bananas from a canon to the monkeys at the zoo. The monkeys sometimes let go of the branch at the exact moment the banana is launched. So the students must determine the correct aim angle...

This digital textbook covers core physics concepts and includes interactive features, real world examples, videos, and study guides.

This activity serves as a follow-up to Activity 6 in the Explorations book, Math and Science in Motion: Activities for Middle School by Chris Brueningsen, Elisa Brueningsen, and Bill Bower (Texas Instruments Incorporated, 1997). Students...

In this physics tutorial, the law of momentum conservation will be combined with the use of a momentum table and some algebra skills to solve problems involving collisions occurring in isolated systems.

Video that uses an elevator in motion to describe the relationship among weight, gravity, and relative motion. [3:36] Includes a short quiz and a list of additional resources to explore.

Hands on activity where young scholars 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.

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...

Science experiment that explores Newton's Third Law. Includes full list of materials, procedures, and scientific explanation.

The mathematics associated with gyroscopes can be investigated through this interactive page. Users enter critical parameters about gyroscopes and rotational motion descriptors are given.

The Illinois Institute of Technology provides a lab activity on precession and spinning tops. Designed for primary grades, but easily adapted for any level. Includes directions and assessment ideas.

This article on weight will help you prepare for the AP Physics test. Included are example problems to help you practice.

[Free Registration/Login Required] Simulate the launch of a rocket to see how rocket propulsion works. After the activity, answer a challenge question to check for understanding.

A virtual collision track with colliding or exploding carts allows students to explore elastic and inelastic collisions. They can vary the mass of the two carts and their pre-collision velocities. An accompanying activity sheet which...

A virtual collision track with colliding or exploding carts allows students to explore elastic and inelastic collisions. They can vary the mass and velocities of the two carts. An accompanying activity sheet which focuses on elastic...

Students demonstrate the properties of inertia with some common kitchen materials.