Curated OER
Newton II; Slow Down
Students, in hands-on activities, explore how a dump truck might be made to negatively accelerate or slow down. They participate in activities using friction force to modify the truck-and-ramp system. Student groups test ideas for...
Virginia Department of Education
States of Matter
Scientists have been studying exothermic reactions before they were cool. The lesson begins with a discussion and a demonstration of heat curves. Scholars then determine the heat of fusion of ice and the heat needed to...
Virginia Department of Education
Sound
Add a little music to your next physics class. Pupils discuss how frequency determines pitch and take part in several activities designed to teach them more about sound, melody, resonance, and vibrations. They use materials to construct...
Curated OER
Physics Rewind
Eighth graders differentiate speed and velocity. In this physics lesson, 8th graders explain Newton's laws of motion. They calculate speed using a mathematical formula.
Curated OER
Traveling Bowls
Students investigate the relationship between force and motion while conducting an experiment to answer the question,"How do objects move?". In small groups, they predict how many washers are needed to pull a bowl across a finish line.
Curated OER
Pendulum Patterns
Students identify the variables involved in the motion of a pendulum. In groups, they research how each different variable is related to the energy the pendulum produces. They share their results with the class and compare them with...
Curated OER
Our Favorite Toys
Students give an operational definition of a control system. They analyze the elements of a control system in terms of input, control, and output and describe the four basic types of motion: linear, reciprocating, oscillating, and rotary.
Curated OER
Moving Along
Young scholars are introduced to the concept of motion. In groups, they practice calculating the rate, time, and distance of various objects on a variety of surfaces. To end the lesson, they apply the same principles to those objects...
Curated OER
Fundamental Terms
Students explore Newton's Laws of Motion and how they apply to flight.
Curated OER
Gravitational Factors
Students identify the forces that affect the weight of an object. In groups, they determine the proper math model which can demonstrate the attraction between two objects based on gravity. They discuss the relationship between the weight...
Curated OER
Red Light, Green Light
Students investigate the friction between tires and the road and how it affects the movement of cars while driving. They discuss and define friction, experiment with sandpaper and wax paper to determine which material provides the least...
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Students explain how simple machines work and design their own machine. They use the Internet for research.
Curated OER
UFOs
Students, in groups, construct a catapult. Then they conduct a series of experiments by catapulting a marshmallow, using different lengths of spoons, across the room. They predict, measure, and record the measured distance on a worksheet.
Curated OER
Going the Distance
Students experiment in small groups to answer the question, "Is there a relationship between ramps and speed?" They apply a formula to calculate the speed of the cars used in the experiment, complete the associate lab report, and...
Curated OER
Konnecting Simple Machines and K'Nex
Students study and identify different types of simple machines and how they work. They design a simple machine.
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Students investigate what simple machines are and how they work. In this simple machine lesson, the students create simple and compound machines and test each machine's ability to perform a task. Students compare simple machines to...
Curated OER
What is a Wheel and Axle?
Stuents explore wheels and axles and how they maka machine move. After a teacher demonstration, students construct a wheel and axle. Students explore the circumference of the wheel. They compare the wheel sizes, speed, distance, and load...
Teach Engineering
Get Me Off This Planet
What do Newton's Laws have to do with getting from Earth to Mars?The activities in this resource show how Newton's Laws work with rockets to get them into space. Background information includes facts about orbits and how orbits...
Curated OER
Gravitational Acceleration
Students investigate the interdependence of mass and gravitational acceleration using computer simulation. In this physics lesson, students derive the formula for acceleration due to gravity. They calculate air resistance on falling...
Curated OER
Newton's Laws and Rocketball
Students investigate Newton's Three Laws. In this Newton's Law lesson, students write the laws in their own words. Students then do an experiment with a ping pong ball. Students drop the ball from a set distance and record their results,...
Curated OER
Balloon Rocket Race Track
Students discuss "How can we measure (or make it easier to record) the speed, distance or acceleration of the balloon?" They told that they are going to make a balloon racetrack. Pupils use meter sticks to accurately measure length and...
Curated OER
The Lost Newton's Laws Lesson
Students explore momentum. In this physics lesson, students perform an experiment in which two balls are released on slanted boards while students observe which ball will go the farthest and the fastest. Students define and explain...
Curated OER
Aircraft vs. Spacecraft
High schoolers investigate differences between aircraft and spacecraft, and the differences in propulsion systems. They build pinwheel airplanes and balloon rockets. An interactive activity quizzes students on thrust.
Curated OER
Let's Do the Wave!
Learners distinguish waves from matter, differentiate between transverse and longitudinal waves, use sine curves as representations of transverse waves, label characteristic properties of waves, diagram transverse waves having specific...