Precession

Get kids' heads spinning by challenging them to design a top that will rotate for a minimum of 10 seconds without leaving a 30-cm circle. Groups of learners collaborate through a planning stage, testing stage, and evaluation stage. Some...

We have all heard the debate about teaching both theories, but an innovative instructional activity takes the discussion to a new level. Scholars research and debate Newton's Law of Gravitation versus Einstein's General Theory of...

Ancient texts, like Homer's Odyssey, mentions navigating ships by observing constellations. Pupils learn about the link between history and astronomy as they relate to navigation in the Bronze Age. Scholars complete two hands-on...

Scientists use ice core samples to obtain temperatures of the earth from 400,000 years ago! The third of five lessons instructs pupils to interpret historical climate data to see changes over time. In part I, participants interpret...

For this kinetic energy worksheet, students determine the kinetic energy of different systems based on objects moving with a tangential velocity and constant velocity. This worksheet has 5 problems to solve.

Carbon is the second most abundant substance found in living things behind water. The unit includes a presentation that allows learners to see how carbon dioxide plays a large role in the atmosphere by keeping Earth warm. They then see...

What does your world revolve around? Challenge the class as they learn about orbits and the effects of them on our modern world. Young astronomers begin by measuring ellipses and calculating the eccentricity of Earth's orbit. Then, they...

The wheel goes round and round, round and round. Learners observe four demonstrations that use a spinning bicycle wheel. After the demonstrations, the class discusses the forces involved with a gyroscope. Discussion questions tie inertia...

In this energy instructional activity, learners determine the total kinetic energy of different systems and determine the distance two objects will travel down an inclined plane starting at a given height. This instructional activity has...

Pupils work together to complete an experiment over binary sources. They determine values for the orbital period of certain objects and interpret intensity changes. They also calculate a value for the period of precession of an accretion...