Physics Classroom
Free Fall
Scholars must understand freefall before they learn how objects like airplanes fly. They apply knowledge of velocity and acceleration to predict speed and direction as part of a larger series on vectors and projectiles.
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Forces
These simple slides are basic, but clear, in their summary of physical forces. Definitions of friction, air resistance, gravity, freefall and projectiles are given along with a couple of helpful diagrams. More examples always help to...
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Does Weight Affect Drag?
Students investigate how weight affects a parachute's rate of fall. In this investigative lesson students test parachutes, average results and conclude what makes a faster descent.
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Causes of America's Great Depression
High schoolers identify principal causes of the Great Depression. They analyze causes including a decline in worldwide trade, the stock market crash, and bank failures and explain the legacy of the Depression in American society.
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Waves
Although this was written to accompany a specific textbook, the information can illustrate wave motion for any advanced level physics course. The slides are simple, use plain but colorful fonts, and include diagrams and pictures to...
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Free Fall Graphing Exercise
Twelfth graders practice their graphing skills in an exercise about acceleration due to gravity. Lesson opens with a demonstration of acceleration due to gravity and a brief discussion. Students complete a worksheet and go over answers...
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Calculus and The Simpsons
In this calculus worksheet, students examine a situation form The Simpsons in whcih Bart falls from a tree house. Students write and solve an differential equation that gives the height of the tree house. The one page worksheet...
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Linear Motion 3
In this linear motion activity, high schoolers answer 11 questions including finding acceleration of moving objects, finding the distance objects travel and finding the time it takes objects to move a particular distance. Students...
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Linear Motion 2
In this linear motion activity, students answer 12 questions about displacement, velocity, and acceleration. They solve problems for acceleration, displacement and velocity and show the equations they used to find the solutions. They...
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People and Space
Young scholars eat dehydrated foods that the astronauts would eat in space. In this dehydrated foods lesson plan, students make lists of food they could eat, discuss how dehydration takes place, eat food, and complete discussion questions.
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Egg Drop Contest
Students explore volume with eggs. They design containers that can prevent eggs from breaking or cracking and test their containers with eggs to ensure that eggs will not crack or break. After ensuring their eggs will not crack or...
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The Egg "Airbag" Lab
Students use what they know about momentum and impulse to construct an effective "air bag" to protect an egg dropped from the top of the football stadium or other tall structure. They complete a final written report of their findings.
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Talking Bulls and Bears
Students compare and contrast bull and bear markets. In this stock market instructional activity, students visit the noted Web sites to study supply and demand, the stock exchange, and financial scandals.
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WHAT HOLDS US TO EARTH?
Middle schoolers they imagine they are Galileo and try to duplicate Galileo's experiments and results.
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Life Without Flight
Students keep a journal for an intire week recording their observations of the ways aircraft affect society, The students discuss their findings and categorize them into areas such as military, commercial, research, and so on.
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Gravity Study Guide
In this gravity worksheet, students define terms such as free fall, terminal velocity, and inertia. Then students compare the different types of forces that act upon objects. This worksheet has 9 short answer and 4 fill in the blank...
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Numerical Determination of Drag Coefficients
Students create a video of an object falling with a drag. In this physics lesson, students calculate drag coefficient using data from Logger Pro. They calculate velocity and acceleration of the object.