Students identify the factors affecting friction. For this physics lesson, students construct their own rocket car and race them. They graph the average speeds and discuss how lubricants affect friction between rubbing surfaces.

Young scholars examine the differences between a virus and a bacteriophage. They explore various websites, identify the parts of a virus and a bacteriophage, and construct a model of a virus or bacteriophage.

In this forces learning exercise, students calculate life force, acceleration, and displacement for 8 word problems. Students must label force diagram and a summation force model.

Eighth graders create their own experiements using toy trucks, cars or balls to measure the time it takes two of them to travel 5 meters, as well as at each 1 meter interval. They make use computers to make a time/distance graph and...

Geology beginners examine three different rock samples and determine their origin by their characteristics. By making and recording observations, they become familiar with features of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock types....

Huygens spacecraft landed on Saturn's moon Titan in 2005, making it the farthest landing from Earth ever made by a spacecraft. In this hands-on activity, the 12th installment of 22, groups explore how density affects speed. To do this,...

Small groups use rubber bands to accelerate an Android device along a track of books. They collect the acceleration data and analyze it in order to determine the device's velocity. 

In this X vs. T graph, students sketch velocity vs. time graphs corresponding to the following descriptions of the motion of an object. Students also draw the velocity vs. time graphs for an object whose motion produced the distance vs....

Seventh graders explore the Laws of Motion. They define friction and explain the concept of inertia. Students explain what happens when a force is exerted on an object that is in equilibrium. They state the second and third laws of motion.

Pupils investigate circular motion in two different activities. In the first, students observe the path of a rolling marble on a paper plate. In the second, pupils play a game of catch using a tennis ball inside a plastic bag. ...

Students investigate how mass affects the speed of an object. For this physics lesson, students record data on the data table and graph results. They analyze findings and formulate a conclusion.

Students construct a model airplane, measure distance, and calculate velocity.  In this creative lesson students work in groups to build a model and use it to calculate distances and velocity.

Students measure, record, and graph the force of moving a block of wood along sand paper. In this friction lesson plan, students read a spring scale, collect data, construct a graph, and propose a model to explain how fiction works.

Scientists have been studying exothermic reactions before they were cool. The lesson begins with a discussion and a demonstration of heat curves. Scholars then determine the heat of fusion of ice and the heat needed to...

Add some zing to your swing! Explore pendulum motion through an engaging interactive. Physical science scholars specify the pendulum's mass, rod length, and starting angle before they observe the resulting angle graph.

Learners use the Internet to delve into the relationship between fores and motion on a sizable object. They predict where they think the temperature and pressure be the greatest, and where the pressure be the lowest.

Students explain how simple machines work and design their own machine. They use the Internet for research.

In this energy, work and power activity, learners solve 12 problems about circuits, electric motors, Ohm's Law and electric currents.

Students calculate the radius of the earth. They use the method and data suggested by Eratosthenes. They investigate the interrelationships among mass, distance, force, and time through experimental processes.

Students discover how air can move things by using their breath. In this physics lesson, students hypothesize then attempt to move a pencil 1 meter using nothing but their breath. Students record data from their experiment including...

Sixth graders make 2 different kinds of parachutes and record and graph the time for each one for the different drag forces. In this parachute lesson plan, 6th graders compare the results to the rest of the class of each parachute and...

Learners explore the concept of mass, and how it differs from weight. They also calculate their weight change as they ride up and down on an elevator. They record the changes in their weight as the elevator moves graph the collected data.

Ninth graders calculate the average speed of their balsa wood airplane. For this physics lesson, 9th graders build their own airplane and make necessary modifications to to make it fly straight. They interpret distance and time graph...

Students, after reading an explanation from a NASA Web-based textbook, demonstrate an understanding of the text by applying it to questions involving cruising aircraft and balanced forces.