Inertia Teacher Resources

Set youngsters in motion when studying forces. This quick animated film stars Sam and Mia, two intelligent but cool kids who talk about forces and motion on the soccer field. Consider using this resource when preparing junior-high...

Students investigate the relationship between shape of object and moment of inertia. In this physics lesson, students collect data from the experiment and use spreadsheet to graph them. They discuss how load affects deflection.

Students practice calculating the moment of inertia when discussing a skater and the position in which it is best to spin. After class discussion, students practice calculating inertia on their own.

Students study friction and inertia, make predictions, and compare data.  In this investigative lesson students view a demonstration on friction, divide into groups, and complete an activity. 

Go wild as you hit a stack of wooden blocks to demonstrate Newton's first and second laws of motion. The blocks at the top of the stack stay put as you knock one at a time out of the bottom. Note, however, that you will need to...

Physics stars will enjoy learning about the conservation of energy as you demonstrate gyroscope precession. The lecture is broken into five subtopics: cross product, rotating vectors, angular momentum, rotating rigid bodies, and torque...

Explore the relationship between sports and physics in a cross-curricular lesson. Middle and high schoolers prepare a multimedia presentation based on a chosen sport. They answer five physics vocabulary questions about how the laws of...

Twisting and turning through the sky, roller coasters are popular attractions at amusement parks around the world, but how exactly do they work? Explore the physics behind these thrilling rides with an engineering design activity....

How does inertia affect an object's trajectory? After watching a video on safety belt use, pupils discuss the notions of inertia. Using their knowledge, individuals try to drop a ball on a target while running, and classmates observe the...

Make an impact on young physicists with this fun collection of resources. After first watching a video and taking notes on the physics of car crashes, students go on to complete a series of activities that explore the...

Here's a presentation that not only covers momentum, impulse, conservation of momentum in both one and two dimensions, angular momentum, torque, and the moment of inertia, but offers many applied guided practice problems as well.

Your class may be able to recite Newton's Third Law of Motion ... but do they actually believe it? See a simple, yet impactful explanation of inertia in a short video that discloses the facts on how much gravitational force Earth exerts...

Record-setting cars need specially made tires. Young engineers watch a video in the Real Engineering series to learn about designing tires. Along the way, they study acceleration, inertia, and angular velocity.

Talk about a cool tool! Convert between units with the click of a mouse using a handy online resource. Enter the starting measurement and units for quantities such as torque, speed, and inertia, then sit back and relax while the computer...

Young scholars explore the basic underlying concepts of Newton's first law of motion. They discuss forces and brainstorm different examples of force and what they act on. Students examine force by observing springs and gravity. They...

Unbalanced forces and the way that they create a movement is explained in this nice succinct collection of slides. There are a number of bullet points on these 5 slides, but the information is logical and easy to understand.

Each of the slides here gives a definition, equation, or calculation example for a component of force and motion. This large collection covers topics from momentum and Newton's laws to centripetal forces and simple machines. Animations...

Here are nine motion problems for physics fanatics to solve. Topics are pretty typical: rifles firing bullets, freight train cars colliding, astronauts gliding through space, balls being thrown. Pupils compute recoil speed, combined...

Young Newtons solve nine momentum problems on a physics homework assignment. They tell which moving object has more momentum, compute average force, determine velocity, and more. Using this resource, you can assess your physics pupils'...

Showcase a few classic demonstrations of angular momentum with this two-minute film. Using a gyroscope, a bicycle, and a tire removed from a bicycle, the narrator explains how angular momentum keeps an object up in a way that defies the...

Entertain and educate physics pros with this activity. They place a marble in a wine glass, get it spinning, and then turn the glass upside down. As long as it spins, centripetal force keeps the marble from falling out! Show this video...

A simple activity visually demonstrates Newton's first law of motion to your physical science fanatics! Placing an index card atop a glass cup and a penny on top of that, they can flick the card away and the penny will drop straight...

In this motion instructional activity, students review Newton's Laws of Motion including terms such as inertia and net force. Students complete 11 matching, 7 fill in the blank, and 7 problems to solve.

Fourth graders explore how to play marbles while learning the scientific concepts of force, motion, mass, acceleration, friction, and inertia.