Motion is one of the key topics in physics. Everything in the universe moves. It might only be a small amount of movement and very very slow, but movement does happen. Don't forget that even if you appear to be standing still, the Earth...

Discusses the meaning of velocity in terms of a graphical representation. Calculus-based discussion. Good graphics.

[Free Registration/Login Required] Learn about the relationship between velocity and position for a swimmer. Adjust the velocity of the legs, streamline, and arms to experiment with the slope of velocity in the simulation swimmer. Dig a...

Learn about position, velocity, and acceleration vectors by moving the ladybug. Set the position, velocity, or acceleration, and see how the vectors change.

Try the new "Ladybug Motion 2D" simulation for the latest updated version of the original game. Learn about position, velocity, and acceleration vectors.

Learn about position, velocity, and acceleration in the "Arena of Pain." Use the green arrow to move the ball. Add more walls to the arena to make the game more difficult. Try to make a goal as fast as you can.

Students strengthen their communication skills by first learning the meaning of base units and derived units. Then, working in groups, students measure the time for LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robots and calculate the robots' average speeds at...

This is part 2 of a two-part lesson on understanding how speed changes when two objects collide. Students will conduct an experiment, collect data, and draw conclusions about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide....

Students will distinguish between and/or interpret the types of motion.

Join Valerie and Margie as they devise ways to measure how fast and how "wild" two water slides are in this video from DragonflyTV. [3:12]

In this field investigation, small groups of learners will observe and measure characteristics of the South Crow River near Mayer, Minnesota. Data collection on these characteristics will include but not be limited to: speed of current...

Understand the basic characteristics of circulation in the Chesapeake Bay, by allowing students to change the wind speed and velocity, and the freshwater forcing through a number of subestuaries, and observe the resulting surface height,...

Learn what centripetal acceleration means and how to calculate it. Included are two example problems with solutions.

Use this hands-on activity to demonstrate rotational inertia, rotational speed, angular momentum, and velocity. Students build at least two simple spinners to conduct experiments with different mass distributions and shapes, as they...

Discover the difference between speed, velocity, and acceleration. Provides formulas and other interesting facts.

The necessity of gravitation to a circular orbit is discussed and equations for the orbital speed are derived from the law of universal gravitation. Binary systems in which two objects orbit about a center of mass are explained and...

A lengthy biographical sketch from The New Advent of Jean-Bertand-Leon Foucault (1819-1868 CE) physicist and mechanician. Discusses his upbringing, scientific work, major accomplishments and published articles. Please note that "The...

A little background and a great Java applet that allows you to see the distribution of particles by their velocity.

Students are presented with two cars that have different constant speeds and that will race each other. They then determine which object will win the race, as well as how much time elapses between the objects crossing the finish line.

A thorough explanation of the wave equation (Speed = Wavelength * Frequency). A data table and questions to check one's understanding are also part of this lesson.

An animation depicting the path of projectiles launched at various launch speeds from the fictional Newton's Mountain. Accompanying text discusses satellite motion and the requirements of orbital motion. Links to further information is...

The derivation of the Boltzmann distribution in detail. Shows calculations and graphs, with links to animations and video to further explain.

Gain an understanding of average velocity and speed with this helpful reference tool. Provides a detailed definition and examples that enhance further explanation. Includes links to related topics.

A collection of calculators to find the average speed, time, or distance depending on the variables given.