Applied Mechanics Teacher Resources

Dangle a spring to experiment with vibration and discover if period is dependent on amplitude. Strum a guitar and adjust the strings to compare displacement and sound. Use a Slinky® and guitar strings on a ring stand to uncover the...

Students familiarize themselves, through teacher demonstration, with Gavendish's apparatus first used for experimentally determining the value of the Universal Gravitational Constant G, and calculate theoretical value of Earth's...

Introduce your class to to the remaining three simple machines-- the lever, pulley, and the wheel-and-axle with a plan that includes the three different types of levers in the discussion of levers. The lesson continues with the...

Learners won't have to squirm when asked the facts after completing an intriguing lab investigation! Hook young scholars on science by challenging them to verify Hooke's Law using a gummy worm. Measuring the length of the worm as they...

For this forces worksheet, students use the mechanical advantage equation to solve for input distance or output distance. The worksheet has 17 problems to solve.

High schoolers will identify the factors that contribute to erosion and weathering. They will start by differentiating between chemical and mechanical weathering. They then apply what they learned by playing the online jeopardy game. Key...

Middle school scientists construct a working water wheel from an aluminum pie pan. Because of the sharp edges on the cut aluminum, this activity is for mature learners only. You could have your class compete to see whose wheel can lift...

Students describe the science of physics. In this Physics lesson, students observe examples of physics within their classroom. Students create a definition for physics.

Planning an elementary science unit has never been simpler! These twelve lessons guide young scientists through an exploration of simple machines and their many uses in the real world before asking them to apply their learning...

Reduce the work it takes to plan a physics lesson on energy with the help of this instructional presentation. Beginning with clear explanations of kinetic and potential energy, this resource continues on to familiarize young...

Prepare your class for business with this resource. While this document is targeted specifically toward pupils who are applying for ASME funding, it could be used to develop any business presentation project. This resource lists...

Young scholars examine factors that control rates in mechanical system. They identify units associated with speed, calculate speed of moving object, identify units associated with acceleration, and calculate acceleration of moving object.

Students explore the building of a pyramid and how pulleys were used to change the direction of applied force. They demonstrate the mechanical advantage of using a pulley and apply it to modern engineering.

In this first class lever activity, students investigate the mechanical advantage of this simple machine. Students change the effort arm and the resistance arm and calculate the resistance force, effort force and the mechanical...

Students describe how inclined plane and pulleys make work easier. In this physics lesson, students calculate work done and mechanical advantage of both simple machines. They collect data from the experiment and construct graphs.

The tension of the 236 strings in a grand piano exert a combined force of 20 tons on the cast iron frame. The presentation includes topics such as work, forms of energy, conservation of energy, gravitational and elastic potential energy,...

Simplify students' lives with this physical science note-taking guide. From inclined planes to moveable pulleys, this resource supports young scientists with defining each type of simple machine while identifying their mechanical...

In the study of wind energy, scholars build a small windmill and observe how it transfers wind into mechanical energy. Learners will make connections to the previous lesson plan with concepts such as the creation of wind...

Please turn off the lights to conserve energy. Or not, after all energy is always conserved. This first lesson in an eight-part series includes three parts. Part A contains one hands-on activity and two inquiry-based experiments on heat...

Students study the concepts of weight and drag while making paper helicopters. They measure how adding more weight to the helicopter changes the time for the helicopter to fall to the ground. They apply what they examine to the work of...

In this forces worksheet, students review the equations for work, power, and efficiency and then use these equations to solve 9 word problems.

Learners explore the drawings of Rube Goldberg to design and construct a simple machine. They discuss simple machines, and using various materials and toy parts, design and construct a "Rube Goldberg" style machine to ring a bell.

A total of 29 word problems furnish practice in solving for work, energy, and force. A few of the questions display diagrams to help learners visualize the systems, and all of them list five choices from which they select the correct...