NOAA
Invent a Robot!
Wait til your class gets their hands on this! Aspiring engineers design a working robotic arm in the fifth and final installment in a series of ocean exploration lessons. Pupils learn about the use of underwater robots in ocean...
Florida International University
Simulating Microgravity with Buoyancy
How do astronauts know how to live and work in a weightless environment? It doesn't come naturally! Junior physicists conduct experiments to examine the link between buoyancy and microgravity. Each activity illustrates a different aspect...
Scholastic
Acceleration Nation Guide
Discover the science of NASCAR! Young scholars rev up their learning as they explore aerodynamic principles. Hands-on activities help learners understand concepts of friction, kinetic energy, and potential energy.
CK-12 Foundation
First Law Simulation
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...
CK-12 Foundation
Friction Simulation
How much pulling force does it take to overcome static friction? The simulation applies the formula for the force of static friction to multiple trials. Scholars alter the pulling force applied until the box moves. They then determine...
CK-12 Foundation
Relative Velocity Simulation
If your pupils think relative velocity is the velocity at which you can run away from your relatives, they need this simulation. Two bikers want to meet at a specific time. Scholars alter the velocity of one rider to arrange the...
CK-12 Foundation
Model Rocket
Acceleration, velocity, mass, and gravity all play a role in the motion of a rocket. Young scientists explore the connection among these components using an interactive tutorial. They adjust the mass and thrust force to experiment with...
CK-12 Foundation
Irwin and Ruthie
Learners compare acceleration to displacement through an interactive tutorial that permits them to adjust the running strategy of two robots and watch them race. A graph displays the robot's velocity over time and another shows their...
CK-12 Foundation
Butterfly Stroke
Swimmers improve their times by understanding the physics of their sport. As a swimmer moves through the water, the efficiency of motion affects the resulting velocity. Through an interactive simulation, pupils change the level of motion...
CK-12 Foundation
Irwin 2D
Learners explore two-dimensional motion through visual modeling with an interactive lesson that allows them to control the path of a robot. Graphs show both the horizontal and vertical motion as the robot continues through its entire route.
CK-12 Foundation
Unicycle
What is the steepness of a hill before a unicyclist slides down it rather than pedaling down it? The simulation graphs the wheel speed versus the unicycle speed as the rider goes down a hill. Scholars control the mass of the rider,...
CK-12 Foundation
Horse and Cart
Can a horse pull more than its weight? A simple simulation answers this question and more. Pupils adjust the mass in a cart, the mass of the horse, the acceleration of the horse, and the angle of the tension rope between the horse and...
CK-12 Foundation
Sprinter
Why do sprinters wear spiked shoes? Scholars explore various styles of shoes and how they handle forces when running. Scholars adjust variables including shoe type, horizontal force, surface type, and normal force to determine which...
CK-12 Foundation
Elevator
Do you weigh slightly less when an elevator first starts its descent? The simulation teaches the change in the force based on the acceleration, constant speed, or deceleration of an elevator. Scholars control the mass and acceleration...
CK-12 Foundation
Everglades Airboat
How does an airboat move when there isn't a motor in the water? The simulation teaches the forces related to the thrust and drag on an airboat. Scholars vary the boat mass and thrust force in order to view graphs of the changing force...
CK-12 Foundation
Pirate Ship
Everything that happens is an interaction, from the wind blowing a sail to a cannon ball being thrust out of a cannon. A simulation shows the interactions involving a sail, air, ball, pirate, cannon, deck, ocean, and the Earth and the...
CK-12 Foundation
Malt Shop
How does the soda clerk know exactly how to get the glass across the counter to the customer? Pupils use the simulation to adjust the launch velocity, glass weight, base area, surface material, and the customer's position to answer that...
CK-12 Foundation
Airplane
How does an airplane control its take off and descent? Scholars explore the forces acting on an airplane and control the angle of attack, wing profile, thrust, and airplane size. They learn about lift, drag, thrust, gravity, and the...
CK-12 Foundation
Hot Air Balloon
How can people control a hot air balloon? The simple simulation allows scholars to adjust the payload mass, burner, and vent position on a hot air balloon and observe the changes in velocity and altitude over time. Challenge questions...
CK-12 Foundation
Bow and Arrow
Where does the energy of an arrow come from? Is it from the person, the bow, or somewhere else? A simulation allows scholars to adjust the stretch distance and the elastic constant in order to understand where the energy comes from, what...
LABScI
Catapult: Flight of the Marshmallows
Watch your marshmallows fly. The engaging STEM activity has groups create a catapult to launch marshmallows. After testing their prototypes, they consider improvements and redesign their catapults.
Teach Engineering
Projectile Magic
What do the movies October Key and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone have in common? The fourth installment of a five-part module presents equations regarding projectile motion and how to rearrange them. Scholars view video clips...
Teach Engineering
Magical Motion
Make solutions to projectile motion problems magically appear using equations. Pupils watch a clip from a Harry Potter movie and find the length of time it takes for a remembrall to fall into Harry's hands. They use a projectile motion...
Teach Engineering
Accelerometer: Centripetal Acceleration
Scholars build robotic arms that swing back and forth and use them to collect velocity and acceleration data. To analyze the results, pupils compare data to the equations for angular velocity and centripetal acceleration.