Curated OER
Flight
Students are introduced to the four forces of flight--drag, lift, thrust, and weight--through a variety of fun-filled flight experiments. They "fly" for short periods and evaluate factors that might either increase or decrease their...
Curated OER
Physics Quiz
In this physics worksheet, students complete short answer questions about physics concepts such as electricity, space, light, and more. Students complete 20 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Falling Motion
Students design and conduct an experiment on Galileo's Rule of Falling Bodies. In this physics lesson, students collect and analyze data. They create a presentation and share it with the class.
Curated OER
Picket Fence Free Fall
Students measure acceleration using a Picket Fence and a Photogate. In this physics activity, students drop an object and measure the acceleration of the object free falling. They log their data using the TI.
Curated OER
Does Shape Affect Drag?
Students study drag and how it affects a parachute in the sky. In this parachutes lesson students build models and compare their drag.
Curated OER
Dayna Lykins, Leanna Prater
Fourth graders compare and contrast gliding flight and true flight. They investigate the basic principles of aeronautics. The class participates in activities to observe lift and the effect of air. Students design and fly their own...
Curated OER
Space Ship Pilot
Students visualize the relation between acceleration and velocity in 2 dimensions. They are introduced to Newton's first law,and Newton's second law. Students work on an exploration activity where they condsider an example of a...
Curated OER
Newton's Laws: Making Simple Rockets
Students can use rocketry to understand Newton's Three Laws of Motion.
DiscoverE
Critical Load
Help your class master the important concept of critical load. Pupils work together to build a structure using 12 playing cards. They test the critical load of the structure using pennies or paper clips.
DiscoverE
Safe Landing
Watch out below! Future engineers come up with methods to ensure that a ball in a cup stays in the cup even after dropped from a given height. It might be prudent to include some kind of shock absorber in the cup. Parachutes are a good...
Curated OER
Energy: The Universal Currency
Science stars examine the concept of energy by thinking about everyday situations. The lesson plan is incohesive. It lists goals for the student, but doesn't address all of them in the content. The best use of this resource would simply...
Curated OER
Newton's Law Vocabulary
In this Isaac Newton worksheet, students analyze ten words in a word box that pertain to Newton's Law. Students match these words to their definitions.
eSchool Today
E School Today: All About Forces
Forces are everywhere. Learn what they are, the characteristics of forces, different kinds of forces, and factors that affect them.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Force and Motion: Gravity and Wind Resistance
Students investigate the effects of force on objects in motion particularly as it relates to gravity and wind resistance by performing a classroom egg-drop activity.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Applying Gravity to a Particle
Next, let's apply all these ideas to the case where a particle is being acted on by both gravity and air resistance using this 5-question quiz/practice. The gravity force vector points downward, and the air resistance force opposes it.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Air Resistance
In this lab, students will investigate what factors affect air resistance while introducing gravity and other forces.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Blow and Go Parachute
Students make a skydiver and parachute contraption to demonstrate how drag caused by air resistance slows the descent of skydivers as they travel back to Earth. Gravity pulls the skydiver toward the Earth, while the air trapped by the...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Flying With Style
As students begin to understand the physics behind thrust, drag, and gravity and how these relate these to Newton's three laws of motion, groups assemble and launch the rockets that they designed in the associated lesson.
E-learning for Kids
E Learning for Kids: Science: Pirates: What Are Some Forces Around Us?
Covers the meanings of force, friction, and gravity, and the differences between magnetic and elastic spring force, and between weight and mass. The effect of air resistance on an object's motion is also touched upon.
Discovery Education
Discovery Education: Physical Science: Gravity Gets You Down
In this instructional activity, young scholars make predictions about falling objects of different sizes and masses to learn about gravity and air resistance. Includes audio vocabulary list and extension activities.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Physics/mechanics (Force and Motion)
A collection of mechanics activities. Many pertain to Newton's laws of motion. Step-by-step directions provided with illustrations. Great for teacher demos or student projects.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Open Course Ware: Courses: Physics: Classical Mechanics
College-level online course highlighting the study of classical mechanics. This course focuses on Newtonian mechanics, fluid mechanics, and kinetic gas theory. Course features include a 35 video lecture series by Walter Lewin. Also link...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Parachutes: Does Size Matter?
Experiment with different sizes of parachutes to find out if size matters when slowing the descent of the parachute. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and introduction,...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Water and Dams in Today's World
Students learn about the importance of dams by watching a video that presents historical and current information on dams, as well as descriptions of global water resources and the hydrologic cycle. Students also learn about different...