Mobile Forces

Planning a unit on simple machines? Save some time and energy with this collection of lessons and activities that explores how these devices are used in the real world to make life a little easier. 

If the whole thing cannot be recycled, can the parts? In this activity groups dissect old toys and electronics to determine what is inside. They sort components based upon material while also identifying the parts that are simple...

Young engineers work in teams to design and build their own trebuchets according to certain criteria; they must be able to launch a mini marshmallow accurately into a pie tin. Background reading material, a planning sheet for trebuchet...

From 3-D cities to building bridges, young engineers engage in innovative STEM challenges that promote brainstorming and collaboration. Learners take on the roles of different types of engineers as well as become familiar...

A multi-faceted and exciting activity awaits your astronomy students. In collaborative groups, they plan a mission to hunt for extraterrestrial life within the solar system, while adhering to specific measurement criteria. 

Challenge your class to use their understanding of the engineering design process to design and build a small-scale, off-road prototype for an assistive technology device. Teams select materials to build their scale models, and, using...

Students study how forces are applied in the creation of art. They design mobiles and pop-up books while identifying which forces of nature act upon them. They look at air currents, gravity, and hand movement.

Students build simple mobiles. In this equilibrium instructional activity, students investigate the functions of three types of levers as they analyze artwork by Alexander Calder. Students then create their own simplified mobiles.

students explore how wireless communications and other mobile technologies have changed the ways and places people work. They design 'mobile learning labs' to demonstrate how these technologies might impact their current workplace and...

Students inquire into how the center of mass is the key factor in designing cars. They construct an oddly shaped object and determine its center of mass. They find that engineers are able to predict how objects will behave while they are...