Students calculate the distance and acceleration of an object. In this algebra lesson, students collect data and create table and graphs to analyze it. They complete a lab as they collect and analyze data on acceleration and distance.

Students conceptually explore motion graphing by producing motion at different speeds and directions. They experience the lab and then graph the motion of the truck at various speeds and directions. The procedures of velocity are...

Twelfth graders examine illustrations and animations on a Physlets CD in which they must describe motion, analyze graphs, and calculate initial velocity. The Physlet assists in providing active class participation in discussion.

High schoolers investigate the meaning of c2 in E=mc2 by measuring the energy delivered by an object falling at different velocities. They state that kinetic energy is the energy of an object in motion. Students illustrate how kinetic...

Eighth graders calculate the speed of a falling object using measurements from a falling rocket. They report data from their data sheet to the teacher to record on the board or on the overhead transparency and discuss the results with...

High schoolers examine how simple machine work can make work easier.  In this machines lesson students complete an activity that shows them what makes up a machine, and how to measure displacement and velocity. 

Middle schoolers determine which wind-up toy is the fastest. However, they can NOT race the toys. They must find another way. On the first day of the activity, students work in pairs or small groups to develop and write a plan.

Students participate in a lesson that investigates Newton's Second Law of Motion. They conduct an experiment of observing balls that are rolled down a ramp. The lesson includes background information for the teacher for preparation and...

Zip through 13 physics problems with force! Equations are printed in large text in the upper-right corner of the page. Pupils change friction forces, deal directly with Newton's second and third laws of motion, and name fundamental...

If you have a rotating office chair in your classroom, you can have physics pupils participate in this simple, yet effective demonstration of angular momentum. One partner sits in the chair, arms outstretched, holding heavy weights. The...

This real-life model of braking distance motivates learners to approach quadratic equations algebraically, numerically, graphically, and descriptively.

Although this was written to accompany a specific textbook, the information can illustrate wave motion for any advanced level physics course. The slides are simple, use plain but colorful fonts, and include diagrams and pictures to...

Students attempt to design the tallest structure that they can with the given materials which are wooden dowels and rubber bands. They discuss the physics of their structure and how they would improve it the next time they built a...

Young scholars engage in an activity which demonstrates how potential energy (PE) can be converted to kinetic energy (KE) and back again. Given a pendulum height, students calculate and predict how fast the pendulum will swing by...

For this chemistry exam, physics pupils complete a series of multiple choice and short answer questions by completing calculations on speed, velocity, magnitude and inertia.

In this impulsive force worksheet, students calculate speed, force, and velocity for several word problems as it relates to the concepts in physics. Students also apply the momentum conservation equation to each problem.

Pupils visualize the relation between acceleration and velocity in 2 dimensions. They are introduced to Newton's first law,and Newton's second law. Students work on an exploration activity where they condsider an example of a...

Eighth graders differentiate speed and velocity. For this physics lesson, 8th graders explain Newton's laws of motion. They calculate speed using a mathematical formula.

Learners time battery operated cars over a set track and determine the velocity of each type of car. They use the cars as manipulatives to demonstrate word problems involving velocity.

Students experiment with measuring the speed of sound in an open field by clapping hands and measuring the time delay between the clap and hearing the sound at a long distance. Students practice solving equations at completion of activity.

In the precalculus instructional activity, students compute vectors and angle directions from given equations. They read and interpret information from three word problems to determine direction, speed, and the velocity vector in...

Eighth graders, in groups, study acceleration and build an accelerometer.

Students apply what they recall about objects in motion by animati ng sequences of pictures that model a set of physical conditions. They animate the orbital motions of the Earth, the space shuttle, and the Moon based on calculations of...

Students read a NASA Web-based text and use its information to complete an activity which uses a pitot tube to calculate the speed of an airplane.