Students view a video and complete experiments with force and motion.  In this force and motion instructional activity, students examine small pieces and how they affect the motion of a toy car.  Students also experiment with...

A comprehensive lesson on acceleration awaits your physicists and engineers! Two YouTube videos pique their interest, then sample F=ma problems are worked and graphed. The highlight of the lesson is the building of a Lou-Vee air car!...

Students conduct and observe experiments in Newtonian mechanics, kinematics, and projectile motion. They analyze the motion of a ball rolling off a table, falling, and then bouncing. Students answer a series of questions analyzing the...

A nine-page physics resource supports your lesson plan on acceleration. A step-by-step lesson plan walks you through the materials you need, the background information, steps for leading experimentation, and the explanation of the...

Students explore the drawings of Rube Goldberg to design and construct a simple machine. They discuss simple machines, and using various materials and toy parts, design and construct a "Rube Goldberg" style machine to ring a bell.

Students discover that different things move at different speeds. They compare the distance a car travels on a ramp with and without a push. They push the car with one finger the first time, let it move without a push the next time (no...

Why was Sir Newton so important to the field of science? Pupils discuss his contributions, specifically his Third Law, as they learn about gravity and the center of mass. They work multiple problems to ensure their understanding and...

Students experiment with Newton's Third Law of Motion. In this physics and motion activity, students complete two experiments to illustrate force and its equal and opposite reaction. Students first work in pairs to exert an equal force...

Test the limits of gravity while encouraging full class participation with this thrilling lesson. Pupils investigate the meaning of work and how it is equivalent to energy. They explore the joule and apply it as a unit of work. They...

Students focus on a force and motion problem, explore it, reflect on it and apply it while completing experiments.  In this motion lesson, students experiment with force and motion by creating a track for testing cars.  

Young engineers consider how to apply accelerometers and sensors to help prevent falls in elderly people. They consider forces of motion and gravity as part of the engineering design process.

Engineer an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to study concepts of physics. Using household materials, collaborative groups design and build an AUV and then test Newton's Laws of Motion as they apply them in underwater environments...

Students examine the difference between potential and kinetic energy.  In this energy lesson students view a video and apply these energies to real world situations. 

Students investigate work and power. In this energy instructional activity, students use the scientific method process to explore how much work and power it takes for a person to climb a stair case.

Students work in groups, they investigate how different forces act upon objects and how this information can be used in their day-to-day lives. They wrap the rubber band around the book. Students place the bo.ok and ruler on top of a...

Students study and identify different types of simple machines and how they work. They design a simple machine.

Learners study the concepts of motion, velocity, and acceleration through graphing their own movement using LoggerPro. They explain the difference between speed and velocity using the weather vane example. They discover the difference...

Eighth graders comprehend Newton's Laws of Motion and to use the scientific method in rocketry sub-unit. They work through the scientific method. Students illustrate how science and Newton's Laws can be used in everyday situations and...

Young scholars explore the concepts of force and effort by observing simple machines. In this physics lesson, students attempt to sharpen a pencil without any help, bite into an orange with their lips curled over their teeth, and other...

Fifth graders move a variety of objects in different ways to observe the different forces. In this physics lesson plan, 5th graders observe pushing, pulling, gravity, and friction. The hands-on component, and teamwork involved, should...

Students attempt to design the tallest structure that they can with the given materials which are wooden dowels and rubber bands. They discuss the physics of their structure and how they would improve it the next time they built a...

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.

Students are able to analyze gravity as an universal force. They are able to determine how the force of friction retards motion. Students are able to apply Newton's Laws of Motion ot the way the world works.

High schoolers assess human impact on water quality. They determine how the force of friction retards motion. Pupils describe and measure quantities that characterize moving objects and their interactions within a system: Time,...