Purdue University
Design of a Door Alarm
How does electricity work? Budding scientists explore the concepts of electrical currents and open and closed circuits with class discussion and a hands-on activity using a battery to turn on a light bulb. Learners also make predictions...
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Exploring Buoyancy
Young scholars use materials found at a resource table to design simple devices that will house instruments to take water samples from a tub of water. They design 3 instruments, each varying in density so that one will float, one will...
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Looking at The Force on a Vehicle
Students build a vehicle following technical drawings. They set up a system to pull the vehicles. Students compare and discuss how the motion of the vehicles changes more or less weight on a string is used to pull them.
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Rube Goldberg Project
Young scholars apply inquiry and problem solving approaches in science. They design a device (invention) that solves a special problem.
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Water and Ice
Students explore the physical properties of water. In this water lesson, students observe, measure, and describe water as it changes state. There are 2 extensions for this lesson that one can access via the Internet links provided.
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Building And Launching a Model Rocket
Students are introduced to the basic parts of rockets and the physical forces at work in the flight of rockets. They build and launch a model rocket and discuss the challenges of launching a real rocket.
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Weightlessness
Students compare and contrast the terms "weight" and "mass". In this physics lesson, students observe an experiment in which objects are placed on a balance scale and weighed under different circumstances. Partners drop items and observe...
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Airplanes
Fourth graders experiment with gravity and lift by building paper airplanes. In this physics lesson, 4th graders compare the falling rate of a crumpled vs. flat sheet of paper. Then after class discussion and demonstration of Bernoulli's...
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Learn to Build a Rocket in 5 Days
Students explore physics by participating in an engineering activity. In this rocket lesson, students define a list of scientific vocabulary terms such as "re-engineering" and "trade-off." Students identify the rocket creation process by...
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Friction
Students explore the force of friction between materials. In this physics instructional activity, students participate in an experiment using various materials such as wood, waxed paper, and aluminum foil and explore which item produced...
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Spuds in Space
Learners explore the effects of velocity on an object when it collides with another object. They design and outfit a potato astronaut in a spacesuit to withstand the hazards of high velocity impacts from space debris and meteoroids.
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Energy Transformation with a Top
Second graders examine both potential and kinetic energy. After discussing the difference and examples of potential and kinetic energy, they participate in a game of "Show Me Potential Energy/Show Me Kinetic Energy" using toy tops.
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How Do Probes Get To Space
Students investigate how force works to propel rockets into outer space. In this physics lesson, students use a drinking straw, fishing line, a balloon, and tape to explore how force works in outer space. Students repeat the experiment...
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Rocketry in Motion
Young scholars investigate why a balloon flies in one direction as air escapes in the opposite direction, which helps them understand the nature of rockets and fireworks. Individually and in teams, students conduct research to create a...
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Electricity And Magnetism
Pupils explore the relationship between magnetism and electricity byby explaining how the model motor operates. They observe the the spinning of a coil of copper wire that is part of a circuit.
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Simplicity of Electricity
Students examine how to make an electrical circuit. They listen to a teacher led discussion, design a switch to control a circuit, and construct a signaling device.
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Water and Ice: Part 1
Students observe the state changes in water. In this matter lesson, students observe, measure, and describe water as it changes state. Students explore how water can change from a solid to a liquid then back again. They journal their...
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Friction
Young scholars explore how friction change motion and why friction is important. Students set up an incline plane. They slide wooden blocks down the incline plane and measure the distance from the end of the track that the block moved....
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F = Ma, Inertia, And Action-reaction
Fourth graders investigate Newton's Second and Third Laws of Motion. They determine what makes objects harder or easier to push. While investigating they determine how applying force in order balance out gravity allows things to stay...
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Human Machine
Students explore the human body by conducting an exercise in class. In this human anatomy lesson, students view a diagram of the human body and identify the specific bones and joints that allow us to perform specific exercises like...
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Creating Magnetic Forces
Students discover magnetic forces. In this magnetic experiment lesson, students explore magnetism. Students conduct experiments and discover magnetic poles and magnetic strength.
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Falling
Students should describe the path that the motion would take as well as what might begin or stop the motion. The common characteristic of all the motions that students have experienced directly is that one or more forces are acting on...
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Where Will It Go?
Students predict the path of a ball bouncing off an object. In this physics lesson, students conduct the rolling ball experiment to test their prediction. They perform several trials for accuracy.
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Let's Take a Rock Apart!
Learners examine a crushed rock and sort the minerals they find in that rock by color and other properties.