Take your class on the ride of their lives! Physical science scholars get an in-depth look at potential and kinetic energies in an amusement park-themed unit. Students research, design, and promote their own amusement parks,...

Groups design the ultimate roller coaster by considering potential and kinetic energy. They test their designs using marbles and then go on to rate each group's design based on aesthetics, loop diameter, and cost.

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....

Students apply their knowledge of the physics principles of force, energy and motion to researching the physics behind amusement park rides.

Navigate the ups and downs of learning about energy. Future engineers consider how potential and kinetic energy apply to roller coasters. They design a roller coaster of their own and then use computer design software to showcase their...

Let the good times roll as young thrill seekers build a roller coaster on school grounds. Future engineers design and build a roller coaster from flexible tubing. The roller coaster is for a marble, so there will be plenty of room to let...

Circular motion can make you loopy! On this physics worksheet, learners practice solving problems regarding centripetal force, rotational period, speed, acceleration, and more. A flying aerobat and a couple of amusement park rides make...

The classic egg-drop experiment gets a new bounce with an activity that asks pairs to design a lander similar to one used to land a rover on Mars within a fixed budget. The activity provides a great introduction to the idea of...

The good thing about building this rover is you get to eat it afterwards. Pairs determine rover parts they want to include in their design based upon their cost and usefulness. The teams design their rovers, build them from edible...

Design and build a rover ... then eat it? This activity has groups of two design and build Mars rovers. The teams determine what instruments they want to include with their rover and plan a budget. They calculate the cost of the body of...

Students create a brochure to entice readers to 'visit' their cell organelles and functions 'amusement park'. Students use humor and 'roadside attractions' for an inspiration - 'visit the ribosomes to watch proteins synthesized before...

Young scholars name and recognize six types of simple machines. They use their research to design an amusement park ride that features different types of simple machines. Students create a brochure about their ride and how it works. ...

Twelfth graders use a web site to investigate roller coaster physics. In this mathematical modeling lesson, 12th graders are grouped according to their performance on a test. Each group is given an activity to complete on a web site...

Emerging engineers work in teams to design pipe insulation roller coasters for marbles that meet specific parameters. They are required to label along the track the areas where kinetic and potential energy are highest and lowest, where...

Students study kinetic and potential energy. In this energy lesson, students in grades K-2 understand the differences between kinetic and potential energy. Students in grades 3-5 demonstrate that kinetic and potential energy. Students in...

Students research five types of chemical reactions in order to design a learning center. Students use technology to research and present their material.

Students work together to discover the relationship between the angle of catapults and the flight of different objects. They discover the heavier the object the more force is needed. They examine how engineers use this information to...

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.

You've got to pump it up! Using the equations for projectile motion and Bernoulli's Principle, class members calculate the water pressure in a water gun. The pupils collect data on the number of pumps and distance traveled in order...

To go or to not to go — the question for a mission to Mars. This resource provides details for a possible manned mission to Mars. Details include a launch schedule, what life would be like on the surface, and how the astronauts would...

Upper graders experiment with measurement. They estimate the length, volume, and weight of various objects, then rotate through stations making predictions concerning measurements and then testing their predictions.

Learners examine the concept of angular momentum and its correlation to mass, velocity, and radius. They listen to a teacher-led lecture, conduct an experiment with rotational inertia, angular momentum, and rotation speed by making...

Eighth graders investigate Newton's Laws of Motion. They use the example of a roller coaster for illustration purposes. A force associated with a roller coaster is tested, data graphed, and a conclusion is drawn. They use excel in order...