If you can't put your finger on it, you can at least learn from this video about the channels that form our our water-soaked fingertips. What is their purpose? This little clip is an amusing and educational addition to a lesson on...

Set youngsters in motion when studying forces. This quick animated film stars Sam and Mia, two intelligent but cool kids who talk about forces and motion on the soccer field. Consider using this resource when preparing junior-high...

What a thrilling job for an engineer: designing advanced athletic competition suits! Which materials can most reduce friction and drag, and yet still be flexible enough to move with the athlete's body? With attention focused on Shani...

Many mechanical phenomena are explained by a physics professor using Nick Goepper, a Winter Olympics 2014 slope-style skier, as the model. Beginning with kinetic and potential energy, the professor goes on to explain angular momentum and...

Chemistry concepts come alive against the backdrop of the Sochi Olympic Winter Games! Here is a captivating clip to share with your chemistry kids. It teaches how the bonds in a water molecule contribute to the formation of a lattice...

Here is a nifty worksheet on energy transfer. Physics fanatics analyze a diagram and state whether or not friction is involved. They sketch bar graphs and draw energy flow diagrams for each system as well. Circular motion, movement up...

Students apply their knowledge of friction, drag, mass and gravity as they design, build, and test mini-bobsleds.

Physicists experiment with the coefficient of static friction on both a level surface and an incline. After answering five pre-lab critical thinking questions, learners go to the lab. They determine the mass required to get a solid...

Mr. Kirwan of the Nevada Joint Union High School District has put together a fun group of problems to solve using the coefficients of friction. In some cases the objects in motion are on level ground and in some cases on in inclined...

Twenty-one thought-provoking questions about momentum and impulse fill the page. Physics enthusiasts describe momentum, relate it to impulse, describe conservation of momentum, and define two types of collisions. They apply equations in...

Your introductory physical science class will be energized by this PowerPoint. They will be able to define energy, work, and power. They will be able to perform calculations for kinetic and potential energy. They will be able to describe...

Physical science scholars discover an array of heat sources. They experiment to connect radiation to heat. They begin to understand thermal equilibrium. Then, they test to see if mass affects the rate of temperature change. Choose a few,...

Physics learners experiment with three laboratory activities to learn about air resistance and friction. First, they use a hair dryer to move different sized spheres to determine the relationship between cross-sectional area and air...

Give every type of learner in your physics class an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned throughout the year. From analyzing tables and graphs, to evaluating diagrams and solving problems, there is an outstanding variety of...

Let physical science stars experience Newton's first law of motion by blowing marshmallows out of cardboard tubes! Using different lengths of tubing, they find that more force is needed to overcome increasing friction, and they have a...

This teeny activity quickly demonstrates how friction produces heat. The handout is designed as an at-home experiment, but having kids do it in class as part of your lesson on friction ensures that everyone will get to experience it. 

Twisting and turning through the sky, roller coasters are popular attractions at amusement parks around the world, but how exactly do they work? Explore the physics behind these thrilling rides with an engineering design activity....

Become a pinball wizard by understanding acceleration. Mia and Sam define acceleration for the audience and touch on the property of inertia. Get your physical science class up to speed by showing this little video, reviewing the...

There's a lot going on here: air pressure changes, inertia, and chemical reactions. All of this occurs in 60 seconds time! As an end of the year physical science assessment, consider showing this video clip and then having learners write...

What a fun demonstration! Show the video, or better yet, have your physics learners construct this hex nut pendulum and test it themselves. Then have them discuss in groups why the single hex nut wraps around the finger. See if they can...

This video is amusing! It displays pictures and the lyrics of a song, "Friction," recorded in the late fifties or early sixties by Tom Glazer and Dottie Evans. Your physical science classes will be singing it for the rest of the school...

There's a lot going on here: air pressure changes, inertia, and chemical reactions. All of this occurs in 60 seconds time! As an end of the year physical science assessment, consider showing this video clip and then having learners write...

What a fun demonstration! Show the video, or better yet, have your physics learners construct this hex nut pendulum and test it themselves. Then have them discuss in groups why the single hex nut wraps around the finger. See if they can...

More rice grains create more friction. Pack them into a bottle and then you can use a chopstick to pick the bottle up! This is a fascinating demonstration of density and the force of friction.