Students use high speed video to determine whether a roller coaster is an example of a system in which mechanical energy is conserved. The activity is intended to give students experience extracting data from video clips, and using...

After viewing an introductory illustrated podcast on speed, distance, time, and velocity, middle schoolers explore distance-time graphs using interactive websites. Working in cooperative learning groups, students will investigate the...

Students use a radio controlled car and weights to record the time of each run and determine velocity. They represent motion graphically and determine the relationship between speed, time, and weight. Students create and interpret...

Students can use a CBR 2 motion detector to determine their speed or velocity going down a playground slide. They will also experiment with different ways to increase their speed going down the slide.

Consider a plane moving with a constant speed at an elevated height above the Earth's surface. In the course of its flight, the plane drops a package from its luggage compartment. This animation depicts such a situation. The path of the...

Imagine a pickup truck moving with a constant speed along a city street. In the course of its motion, a ball is projected straight upwards by a launcher located in the bed of the truck (with no air resistance). This animation depicts the...

In this activity, students design their own airplanes and fly them. The challenge is to create a fast plane and a slow plane and compare the speed to the design.

Students will be given only the starting speeds of the two objects and that they will have an elastic collision. From this they must figure out the velocities of both cars after the collision.

Kids learn about speed and velocity in the science of physics and the laws of motion including units and measurement. What is the difference between speed and velocity?

Explains what an anemometer is used for and the different models that have been developed since it was first invented.

Motion is one of the key topics in physics. Everything in the universe moves. It might only be a small amount of movement and very very slow, but movement does happen. Don't forget that even if you appear to be standing still, the Earth...

Expanding on the topic of objects in motion covering Newton's laws of motion, acceleration and velocity, which are taught starting in third grade, middle schoolers are introduced to new concepts of speed, density, level of service (LOS)...

In this field investigation, small groups of learners will observe and measure characteristics of the South Crow River near Mayer, Minnesota. Data collection on these characteristics will include but not be limited to: speed of current...

Do you think you could fire an "unpowered" object into orbit? By controlling the angle and speed at which the satellite is launch, students will try to launch a satellite into space with this computer model. Activity includes questions...

Students learn the concept of angular momentum and its correlation to mass, velocity and radius. They experiment with rotation and an object's mass distribution. In an associated literacy activity, students use basic methods of...

Challenges students to get as many vehicle accelerations as possible in a 3 minute time frame. Students must push on the gas to accelerate their vehicle and then use the change in velocity and the change in time to get the acceleration...

Adjust the particle speed in this simulation and observe how the particle's motion is affected.

By the end of this section, you will be able to express the ideal gas law in terms of molecular mass and velocity; define thermal energy; calculate the kinetic energy of a gas molecule, given its temperature; describe the relationship...

This lesson focuses on Newton's Law for falling objects including terminal velocity, the three stages of falling, a diagram showing what happens to the speed of a skydiver from airplane to ground, velocity-time graphs for falling...

Students must determine the 3 components of the initial velocity of a soccer ball on a corner kick. Students will see the displacement of the ball in all three dimensions as well as the time the ball is in the air. Students must also...

This lesson from the Glenbrook South High School gives a nice review and detailed explanation of velocity, speed, distance, displacement, and acceleration. A good introduction to the "language of Kinematics."

A good mathematical account of what happens to time as you approach c: the speed of light. Also provides a rather a fascinating video (fly through the Lattice) - don't miss it. Take some time and explore this site.

In this lesson, you will learn about position vs. time graphs and velocity vs. time graphs and how to use them to solve problems.

A historical approach to special relativity, giving all the events and names in the history of discovery of special relativity. Many links to these individuals.