Curated OER
Circular Motion
A helpful physics presentation will have you talking in circles! The material covers circular motion, and includes diagrams, formulas, and example problems. When used in addition with directed instruction and a teacher-created form of...
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Domino Dash
Eighth graders examine the relationship between speed, time and distance. In this motion lesson students complete a lab activity that allows them to calculate average speed.
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Just How Big is this Place?
Students are introduced to the the formula for calculating travel time. They listen to different scenarios relating to long distance travel into space and calculate travel time using the formula.
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Battery Operated Model Car Experiments
Students time battery operated cars over a set track and determine the velocity of each type of car. They use the cars as manipulatives to demonstrate word problems involving velocity.
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Dude, Who Hit My Car?
Students discuss how investigators solve a hit and run accident. In this physical science lesson, students recreate an accident scene using CEENBot. They collect data from the experiment and formulate conclusion.
It's About Time
Communication Through Space
If humans do find aliens, how would we communicate with them? An intriguing lesson walks through some of the challenges associated with this question. How long would a message take to reach a specific destination, what language should we...
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Forces and Motion
Fourth graders study straight line motion and the forces that affect motion, including the terms force, gravity, and speed. They determine that gravity, weight, and other forces have an effect on speed and motion.
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Playground Games
Students compete in playground games in order to review velocity and wave behavior in real life situations. They demonstrate understanding by calculating velocity in their "Playground Games" packet.
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Does that Sound Right to You?
Ninth graders are introduced to the components of compressional and transverse. They practice answering speed problems involving different mediums that waves travel trhough and then review the wave PowerPoint. They then visit physics...
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Navigating by the Numbers
Students observe how math is important in navigation and engineering. They study how surveyors use math and science to calcute, count, measure, label, and indicate distances on a map. They estimate specific distances.
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Hang Time
Students simulate the motion of a fly ball with different winds. They use a partner to provide the simulated wind. Students draw a baseball diamond and the field on a piece of paper. They drag the pen across the paper to show the path of...
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The Martian Dust Devils
In this martian dust devils worksheet, students use images of a dust devil captured by NASA's Spirit rover to calculate the distance the dust devil traveled, the speed, and its acceleration or deceleration.
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...
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Space Shuttle Launch Trajectory-I
In this space shuttle launch worksheet, students are given 2 equations used to determine the space shuttle's trajectory in the first 5 minutes of a launch. Students use these equations to solve 3 problems including finding the shuttle's...
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Deep Impact-Comet Flyby
In this comet and angles worksheet, students read about the Deep Impact spacecraft that flew by the comet Tempel-1. They use a given formula to find the angular diameter of the comet and solve 4 problems using the equation.
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Details from an Exploding Star
In this nebula worksheet, students read about the Crab Nebula and calculate the average speed of the expanding gas. They determine the size of the smallest clumps of gas and they draw the diameter of the solar system to scale.
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Super-Fast Solar Flares!
In this solar flares learning exercise, students observe a sequence of figures of a solar flare observed in 2003 from the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager satellite. Students solve 6 problems including finding the scale of...
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Vector Voyage!
Students use vector analysis to examine the concept of dead reckoning. They listen to a teacher-led lecture, complete a Vector Voyage Worksheet with the teacher, answer discussion questions, and use the Pythagorean Theorem for speed...
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Kinematics Along with Work/Energy
In this kinematics, work and energy worksheet, students solve 16 problems given a diagram of a moving ball that has been launched. Kids find the trajectory of the ball, the velocity of the ball and its potential and kinetic energy at...
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The Comet Encke Tail Disruption Event
In this comet tail disruption instructional activity, students solve 7 problems using two images from NASA's STEREO satellite showing the breakup of the comet's tail. Students analyze the diagram and use the scale to solve the problems...
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Fermi Observatory Measures the Lumps in Space
In this gamma-ray instructional activity, students read about the Fermi Gamma-ray Observatory and how it measures the invisible lumps in space. Students solve 3 problems using an equation to determine the time that gamma-rays travel in...
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The Mathematics of Ion Rocket Engines
In this ion rocket engines worksheet, students read about how heavy atoms are used to create the thrust in rocket engines. They solve 5 problems including determining the speed of atoms in a satellite, finding the average acceleration of...
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"Graphing Your Motion"
Students study the concepts of motion, velocity, and acceleration through graphing their own movement using LoggerPro. They explain the difference between speed and velocity using the weather vane example. They discover the difference...
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Variables and Expressions from Around the Cosmos
In this variables and expressions worksheet, students solve 7 problems using different mathematical formulae to find the length of Earth's day in the future, the distance to the galaxy Andromeda, the temperature of a gas cloud emitting...