CK-12 Foundation
Bobsled
Bobsled riders' safety depends on skill ... and physics! Learners use a simulation to understand the physics behind the sport. They manipulate the speed, mass, and/or turn radius of the sled and watch the effects on the centripetal...
Curated OER
Wheelies
Pupils design wheels for a coaster car to travel varying terrain. In this motion and friction lesson plan, students discuss friction and motion and test wooden wheels on a track. Pupils then brainstorm how to increase friction and bring...
American Chemical Society
Temperature Affects Density
Different substances can have different densities, but can the same substance have different densities? Lesson explores the effect of temperature on the density of water. Extension idea connects the concept of how melting ice in lakes...
STEM for Teachers
Tsunami!
How does the depth of an ocean affect the speed of a tsunami's waves? Use Jell-o, graham crackers, and marshmallows to model the effects of an underwater earthquake and its resulting tsunami. The lesson includes hands-on activities,...
Curated OER
Movement of Objects
Ninth graders investigate motion. In this science lesson, 9th graders conduct experiments on objects to analyze motion and speed. They define motion in everyday life.
University of Colorado
Happy Landings: A Splash or a Splat?
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,...
Curated OER
A Moving Experience - Forces and Inertia
Students consider the first part of Newton's First Law of Motion, the Law of Inertia of objects at rest, which states that every object remains at rest unless acted on by a force. They perform hands-on experiments which demonstrate this...
Curated OER
Calculus 10.2 day 2 - Vector Valued Functions
Looking for a lesson on vectors? Here is a PowerPoint that has six examples for finding velocity, acceleration, speed and direction of motion. One of the examples demonstrates the use of the TI-89 Graphing Calculator to solve a...
EngageNY
Searching a Region in the Plane
Programming a robot is a mathematical task! The activity asks learners to examine the process of programming a robot to vacuum a room. They use a coordinate plane to model the room, write equations to represent movement, determine the...
Discovery Education
Jets in Flight
This Discovery Education activity provides the information needed to understand the basics of flight. Before taking off, young pilots learn the eight stages of the engineering design process. Small groups then design and build...
University of Colorado
Distance = Rate x Time
Every year, the moon moves 3.8 cm farther from Earth. In the 11th part of 22, classes use the distance formula. They determine the distance to the moon based upon given data and then graph Galileo spacecraft data to determine its movement.
NASA
Measuring Dark Energy
You're only 10 minutes late? Do you know how much the universe has expanded in those 10 minutes? Scholars graph supernovae based on their redshift and see if the results verify Hubble's Law. If it does confirm it, the universe is...
Curated OER
Vectors: How Much Force Can You Apply
This lesson entails the viewing of two videos to get an overview of force and its application. The lesson covers how vectors use force in real-world situations.
NorthEast Ohio Geoscience Education Outreach
Density and Pressure of a Hot Air Balloon
Using a dry cleaner bag and a blow dryer, create a hot air balloon! The materials list suggests obtaining one dry cleaner bag per student, but since this is probably inconvenient, consider doing this as a demonstration during a lesson on...
Curated OER
Going the Distance
Learners experiment in small groups to answer the question, "Is there a relationship between ramps and speed?" They apply a formula to calculate the speed of the cars used in the experiment, complete the associate lab report, and...
Curated OER
Speedy Trials
Fifth graders investigate how forces affect the motion of an object. In this physics lesson, 5th graders calculate an object's speed using a mathematical formula. They discuss how force and mass affects the speed.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Varying Motion
For this secondary mathematics learning exercise, high schoolers collect data based on a person’s motion. From this data, students create graphs comparing displacement, velocity, and acceleration to time. The five-page learning exercise...
Curated OER
Crash Test Physics
Students design and test balsa cars. In this crash tet lesson plan, students design and build their own cars to specifications. They explore the physics of motion and vehicle crash safety.
Curated OER
Surface Friction and Wear Characteristics of Common Materials
Students identify the factors affecting friction. In 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.
Rice University
College Physics for AP® Courses
Take a look at an organized physics course. The 34-section electronic textbook covers material in AP® Physics 1 and 2. Teachers use the text to supplement lectures and have the class work through the labs. Each section contains...
Curated OER
Balloon Powered Race Cars
Students examine Newton's Law of Motion and use the formula to calculate speed. In this laws of motion lesson plan students create a balloon powered car and calculate its speed and distance.
Curated OER
Forces and Masses and Motion, Oh My!
Pupils explore how varying force and mass effect the motion of an object. In this motion lesson plan students participate in a class activity and demonstrations.
Curated OER
Marbles in Motion
Fourth graders explore how to play marbles while learning the scientific concepts of force, motion, mass, acceleration, friction, and inertia.
Curated OER
A Moving Experience - Forces and Inertia
Students view a video and complete corresponding activities to observe inertia. They observe and predict the effect various forces have on objects.