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Friction
Fourth graders investigate friction as a force that is present around us. They observe as a ball is rolled on different surfaces and stopped before discussing what happens. Using different surfaces, they make predictions as to what type...
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Gravity
Fourth graders discuss the myth of Galileo's experiments in which he threw items out the leaning Tower of Pisa to find out how fast they fell and predict what they think could happen when the two items listed on the same line are dropped...
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Exploring Force and Motion
Pupils explore the concepts of force and motion by creating a video. In this physics lesson, students are assigned one particular aspect of force and motion to investigate and work in groups to create a video that will be presented to...
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The Fall of the Ruler
Students determine their reaction time using a ruler. In this Physics lesson, students calculate the class' means and variances. They plot the graph and analyze if there are outliers.
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How Can We See Inertia?
Students conduct 8 experiments to gain an understanding of inertia. Students use a variety of materials to conduct these experiments. Students learn the difference between objects at rest and objects moving in a straight line.
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#22 Frames of Reference: The Basics
Young scholars explore the concept of frames of reference in physics.
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Frames of Reference: The Basics
Students learn the concept of frames of reference in physics. They examine how two frames of reference, each moving with respect to the other with a constant velocity v (constant speed, constant direction).
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What Floats Your Boat?
Young scholars discover the Archimedes principle through a buoyancy experiment. They measure the water displacement of a lump a clay which is denser than water then reshape the clay into a bowl which floats but displaces more water.
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History of Astronomy
Students participate in assessments regarding the history of astronomy. They listen and take notes, draw a time line, draw a solar sytem designed by Ptolemy and create flashcards. They write an essay on Galileo, watch a video, take a...
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Motion Through the Ages
Eighth graders conduct internet research to produce a timeline of man's growth in understanding of concepts of motion and planetary motion through history.
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MEASURING THE GRAVITATIONAL CONSTANT, G
Pupils study gravitational force an. In this gravitational force lesson students observe a demonstration.
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In-Line Inertia
Students practice calculating the moment of inertia when discussing a skater and the position in which it is best to spin. After class discussion, students practice calculating inertia on their own.
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Scientists and Statesmen in Early America
Explore the historic and cultural context of the foundations of the United States of America. They identify the political and scientific contributions of early American scientists.
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Vectors
Young scholars describe motion by the use of adding vectors. They identify the difference between the x and y components of vector quantities. Students are given the Paper Bridge Building handout and the instructions as to where to...
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Rocketry in Motion
Young scholars investigate why a balloon flies in one direction as air escapes in the opposite direction, which helps them understand the nature of rockets and fireworks. Individually and in teams, students conduct research to create a...
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Motion in a Circle
Students study about deriving centripetal acceleration for motion at constant speed around a circle.
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Motion in a Circle
Students explore uniform circular motion, and the relation of its frequency of N revolutions/sec with the peripheral velocity v and with the rotation period T. They examine how uniform circular motion is a type of accelerated motion.
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TE Activity: A Merry-Go-Round for Dirty Air
Young scholars observe a simulation of a cyclone to examine a method of pollutant recovery in cleaning industrial air pollution. They examine how engineers develop technology to reduce air pollution and determine percentages for...
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Help! I'm Under Too Much Pressure!
Young scholars play with a ping pong ball sized piece of modeling clay observing what happens to the clay as they play with it and write their observations in their notebooks. They share the results of their observations introducing the...
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Space Ship Pilot
Pupils visualize the relationship between acceleration and velocity as they maneuver a model spaceship in a 2-dimensional applet.
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FORCES, MOTION, AND ENERGY
Eighth graders engage in a variety of activities in order to investigate the basic concepts of physics. They read and answer questions in a written text. This is only one type of activity that is part of many others.
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Where Will It Go?
Students predict the path of a ball bouncing off an object. In this physics lesson, students conduct the rolling ball experiment to test their prediction. They perform several trials for accuracy.
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It Won't Budge: Balloon
Eighth graders use the scientific method to discover why a balloon is not inflated.
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Looking into Eratosthenes' Radius of the Earth
Students, in small groups, research Eratosthenes and his calculations of the Earth's radius. They write a summary of the person, the experiments and his calculations to determine how accurate Eratosthenes was in his estimations of the...