Creative Chemistry
What is the Percentage of Copper in "Copper" Coins?
Whether in the UK or the US, the mass of the copper in a copper alloy penny can be determined. If you are in the US, note that on the lab sheet, a penny is identified as a "1p piece." The penny is dissolved by young chemists in nitric...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Cost-Effective Buying
Middle school energy experts read about the relationship between energy use and cost-efficiency. Then they work through a couple of scenarios to determine which approach is more cost-effective.
Curated OER
Hybrid Vehicles: Cut Pollution and Save Money
Math and science meet in this lesson on hybrid electric automobiles. This 24-page resource provides everything you need for teaching a lesson that compares the use of internal combustion engines to hybrid electric engines. Participants...
Teach Engineering
Start Networking!
Class members create their own social networks by collecting signatures before graphing the interactions with their fellow classmates. The degree distribution of the simulated social network is determined by calculating the degree of...
Baylor College
Food: The Math Link
Enrich your study of food science with with these math worksheets. They offer a variety of food-related word problems that are great practice for multiplying, identifying fractions, estimating length, and performing calculations...
Baylor College
Calculating Exponential Growth
There can be a steep learning curve when teaching about exponential growth, but the lesson helps kids make sense out of the concept. When talking about exponential growth of viruses, learners may not be very interested, but when you are...
DiscoverE
Friction in Action
There's no need to have friction among instructors regarding the resource. Pupils investigate how marbles and coins slide along different surfaces which gives them information to estimate coefficients of friction.
NASA
MASS, MASS – Who Has the MASS? Analyzing Tiny Samples
What is it worth to you? A hands-on activity asks groups to collect weights of different combinations of coins and calculate weighted averages. They use the analysis to understand the concept of an isotope to finish the third activity in...
Teach Engineering
Penny Perfect Properties (Solid-Liquid Interations)
I can get more water to stay on a penny than you can! Collaborative pairs determine the volume of liquids that can be contained on the surface of copper pennies and plastic coins. The pairs analyze their results using graphs and go on to...
Curated OER
Flipping Coins: Density as a Characteristic Property
Young scholars explore linear functions in a crime solving context. They collect and analyze data using linear equations, then interpret the slope and intercepts from a linear model.
Curated OER
Problems with Measures
Yards or inches? Understanding measurements has a lot to do with units, so give scholars some scenarios and have them choose the appropriate unit. There are six labeled images here requiring weight, distance, length, and capacity. They...
Beyond Benign
PPM
The 15th lesson in the series of 24 helps your classes understand the ppm (part per million) unit of measure. First, scholars experiment with food coloring to determine concentrations before applying their findings to calculate...
NASA
How Far Away Is Space?
Space is about 60 miles from the surface of Earth. Pupils make calculations to model that distance by stacking coins the appropriate height using scale. They then explore the distance to objects in space such as satellites and the space...
Curated OER
Saving Money Through Mathematics
Third graders discuss light sources and collect data about energy sources. They compare data and create a multiple line graph showing energy used by light sources for each student in the group. They present their graphs and write a...
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
A Tale of Two Houses
Does it cost more per year to heat Bill's home in North Dakota or to cool Bubba's home in Georgia? Using heat transfer concepts, mathematical equations, and critical thinking skills, young engineers work in groups to determine who is...
College at Brockport
Healthy Ecosystems
Is there a connection between the snowshoe hare population and the lynx population? Young scientists will examine this question and graph actual data to determine the relationship between these two species, as well as researching another...
Curated OER
It Has Been Rubbish For Years
Students are presented with the problems of percentages and focus upon numbers in contrast to 100. They calculate problems with money and are engaged with the use of games as a teaching tool. Students also interpret data as presented in...
Curated OER
Residential Power System
Perform data analysis on energy consumption to apply algebraic expressions to the real world. Learners will write and solve equations that answer various questions from residential power use. They will collect data at home and calculate...
Curated OER
What Does a Quarter Weigh?
Students study the historical figures and symbols of U.S.
patriotism depicted on the penny, nickel, dime, and quarter coins. They
create a balance scale from common materials to measure the approximate weight
of a quarter.
Illinois State Board of Education
Solar System
Aspiring astronomers solve problems involving mixed units of the same attribute, including time, money, length, and area. They convert large numbers into scientific notation, then compute and compare ratios to explain why drawing...
Curated OER
How Electronics Come to Us: Distribution and Use
Students identify environmental challenges that can be solved throughout a product's life cycle. They experiment and examine how we can choose and use products in an environmentally responsible manner. Each student is also involved in...
Curated OER
Using Radioactive Decay To Determine Age
Students explore the process of carbon dating fossils to determine their age. They simulate radioactive decay using pennies in a shoe box. Heads represents a decayed atom each time they shake the box. They use the data to calculate the...
PBS
Light Bulb Challenge
Efficiency equals money where homes are concerned. A comparative lesson asks learners to measure heat output of incandescent and compact fluorescent light bulbs. They follow their investigation with calculating the cost of using the two...
Curated OER
Cost Effective Buying
Students evaluate energy-related purchases. For this consumer awareness lesson, students visit an appliance store and rank the products' cost effectiveness by using a mathematical formula.