How much energy in Jewels does it take to tow a car up a slope? Scholars explore different values of both kinetic and potential energy to answer that question. Through multiple levels, the difficulty increases — as does your young...

What makes a swing go back and forth like a pendulum rather than going all the way around? Scholars use the simulation to explore pendulums and how they work. They vary the weight, length of the rope, and even gravity in various trials.

Do you understand the science behind hitting a hockey puck to control the direction it moves? Pupils experiment by telling a hockey player how to hit the puck so it moves in a circular direction. Through manipulating the velocity and...

Fire in the hole! Thrill your classes as they see what it's like to fire a cannon ball. Scholars practice aiming a cannon ball by altering first the firing angle, then the velocity, and finally both simultaneously. Can they discover the...

Can you get the puck into the goal using only electric charges on the ice? Scholars experiment with electrostatic forces as they determine which charges pull the puck and which repel it. Multiple levels reinforce different related...

Tommy is trapped on an ice bridge and needs you to balance the charges so he doesn't fall into the icy water! Scholars apply Coulomb's Law, which relates to both the strength and the distance between charges. They work with these two...

Does the amount of a roller coaster's energy change as it goes along the track? Scholars investigate when a roller coaster has potential and kinetic energy. They observe the changes as it goes up the initial hill follows it throughout...

Keep calm and use the force! Joey pulls a cart and scholars adjust the force required to control the movement. Through simulating different scenarios, participants learn about Newton's Third Law. It includes analysis questions throughout...

A remotely operated vehicle approaching a volcano was engulfed by molten sulfur where the plumes of fluids contained the highest concentrations of aluminum ever recorded. This isn't science fiction or an April fools joke, though it did...

To show the magnitude and direction of all forces acting upon an object, scientists use a free body diagram. This simulation serves as an introduction to free body diagrams allowing scholars to build their own. Pupils select the proper...

Does Newton's First Law of Motion explain how to move a sled across ice? A simulation encourages scholars to decide if they should push, pull, or apply no force. Their decision moves a sled across the ice and to the home at the...

The United States has more per capita emissions than any other country in the world. An eye-opening simulation encourages users to explore environmental goals and factors that affect climate change by balancing different priorities....

Scientists can model global surface temperature with and without considering human emissions, but does do these factors really make a difference? Two interactive graphs demonstrate some factors that affect climate change. The first graph...

The greenhouse effect warms up earth enough so it can support life, but if it heats up too much, life won't be able to survive. An interactive presentation covers the greenhouse effect, the carbon cycle, climate forcing, and climate...

Stephen Perry invented and patented the modern rubber band in 1845. Young scientists put his discovery to work as they use rubber bands to observe entropy and enthalpy. They determine the change in free energy to figure out if it...

My room isn't messy — it's a scientific experiment in entropy! Scholars investigate entropy, enthalpy, and spontaneity through a guided procedure and set of questions. The lesson connects the Second Law of Thermodynamics, energy...

Scientists can't observe bonds breaking or forming, so how do they distinguish between exothermic and endothermic reactions? Young scholars complete two experiments to do just that. They monitor temperature change and calculate the...

Can a small change in laboratory procedures save energy? Scholars test three different methods for heating water in a science lab. Then, they calculate the energy efficiency for each and compare them to determine which uses the least...

Do all liquids evaporate at the same rate? Young scientists observe the evaporation rate of three different liquids. They measure the time, the temperature, and the change in energy. After comparing the chemical formulas, scholars...

Steam engines have been around since the late 1600s, yet most pupils don't know how they work. Using an soda can, the instructor builds a simple steam engine for scholars to observe. Through a discussion, young scientists learn about the...

When asked to list everyday objects that require energy, most people list technology that use batteries or electricity. Through hands-on exploration, young scientists discover energy is much more than just circuitry. They play with...

Due to the isolation of seamounts, their biodiversity offers a great deal of information on the development of biological and physical processes. Pupils use simple cluster analysis to rate the similarity and differences in biological...

Oceans represent more than 80 percent of all habitats, yet we know less about them than most other habitats on the planet. The instructor introduces the epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, twilight, and midnight zones in the ocean....

Scientists recently discovered several previously unknown species at the Bear Seamount off the coast of New England. Scholars research these new species — benthopelagic, benthic, and seamount fish — and find out what makes them...