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Performance
Radford University

Projectile Motion and Quadratic Functions

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Model the flight of a ball. Small groups collect time data for how long it takes to toss a ball between two people. The teacher leads a discussion about projectile motion to get the class thinking about how to calculate the equation of...
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Activity
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Teach Engineering

Magical Motion

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
LABScI

Projectiles: Target Practice

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Angry Birds prepared them, but now pupils must prove their skills with projectiles! Scholars test different variables to determine which ones impact the distance the projectile flies. The experiment provides connections to kinetic and...
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Performance
Radford University

Throwing a Football

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Use mathematics to help the football team. Pairs brainstorm how to approach finding a solution to a problem to help the quarterback complete more passes. By researching and collecting data, the teams derive an equation to represent the...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Ace in the Hole

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Qualitative Examples of Conservation of Mechanical Energy

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Instructions for series of six activites, a reading of scientific literature, and a choice of six assessments await you in this physics resource. Well-written plans guide you in guiding your pupils to experiment with levers, pulleys,...
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Activity
DiscoverE

Design a Catapult

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Just this once, it's okay to throw things in class. Out of craft sticks and rubber bands, pupils build catapults to launch an object of choice. This can be a ping-pong ball, a marshmallow, or any other small item. As long as it hits the...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Modeling with Quadratic Functions (part 2)

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
How many points are needed to define a unique parabola? Individuals work with data to answer this question. Ultimately, they determine the quadratic model when given three points. The concept is applied to data from a dropped object,...
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Lesson Plan
University of Texas

Free-Body Diagram

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Preparing for an AP test is about more than bubble sheets and memorization. The two activities in this resource require a direct application of skills learned throughout an AP Physics course.
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Lesson Plan
LABScI

Catapult: Flight of the Marshmallows

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
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.
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Lesson Plan
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NASA

Simulating Weightlessness

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Floating across the top. Class groups examine the parabolas, written as parametric equations, that model the flight path of NASA's C-9 as it simulates weightlessness. They continue their exploration by changing the parameters to...
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Lesson Plan
NASA

On Target

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
NASA's LCROSS mission is dropping a probe into a lunar crater. Groups design a system to travel down a zip line and drop a marble onto a target in the classroom. The groups then modify their designs based upon testing. 
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Performance
Radford University

How to Calculate and Analyze the Equation for a Parabolic Path

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Working in groups, pupils plot three points on the coordinate plane representing three different parabolic paths. Using a calculator, they determine the quadratic regression equation for their models. Each team then figures out the...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Trebuchet Toss

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Young engineers work in teams to design and build their own trebuchets according to certain criteria; they must be able to launch a mini marshmallow accurately into a pie tin. Background reading material, a planning sheet for trebuchet...
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Lesson Plan
Berkeley Engineering and Mentors

Marshmallow Catapaults

For Teachers 4th - 10th
After a brief lecture on levers, torque, projectiles, and the five-step engineering design cycle, young physical science learners or engineers build catapults out of craft sticks. This is an open-ended exploration of what works and what...
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Activity
Fall River Schools

Parabolas Are All Around Us

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Moving parabolas off of graph paper and into the real world is the task at hand in this detailed poster project. First, learners perform a cumulative activity identifying many characteristics of an assigned quadratic equation. Next, they...

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