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How Far?
To learn how friction affects motion, learners build a measurement tool from a rubber band and other simple materials.
Newton's 2nd Law: Inquiry Approach
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In this lab activity, learners act as fellow scientists and colleagues of Isaac Newton. He has asked them to independently test his ideas on the nature of motion, in particular his 2nd Law.
3-2-1 POP!
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In this physics activity, learners build their own rockets out of film canisters and construction paper.
Action-Reaction Rocket!
Learners construct a rocket from a balloon propelled along a guide string.
Blow-and-Go Parachute
Learners make a skydiver and parachute contraption and launch it. They see that the drag created by air resistance slows the descent of skydivers as they travel back to Earth.
Under Pressure
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In this experiment, learners examine how pressure affects water flow. In small groups, learners work with water and a soda bottle, and then relate their findings to pressure in the deep ocean.
Newton Car
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In this activity, learners work in teams to investigate the relationship between mass, acceleration, and force as described in Newton's second law of motion.
Strong Bones, Weak Bones
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Most people will break a bone in their body at some point in their life, but how much force does it take to break one?
Egg Bungee
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Learners attach an egg to a rubber-band bungee cord and drop the egg.
Trebuchet Toss
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In this activity, learners explore trebuchet design. Teams of learners construct trebuchets from everyday materials.
Leaning Tower of Pasta
Learners build structures from spaghetti and marshmallows to determine which structures are able to handle the greatest load.
Swing in Time
Learners build and investigate pendulums of different lengths. They discover that the longer the string of the pendulum, the longer the time it takes to swing.
How Do Things Fall?
Learners engage in close observation of falling objects. They determine it is the amount of air resistance, not the weight of an object, which determines how quickly an object falls.
Skateboard Disaster
Learners examine collisions between two skateboards carrying different masses. They learn about conservation of momentum in collisions.
Breaking Beams
Learners investigate stress and strain by designing, building, and testing beams made from polymer clay.
3 Classes of Levers
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In this physics activity (page 3 of the PDF), learners will move a load using a lever of each of the 3 classes. They will explore the differences between these classes and which are more effective.
Rubber Band newton Scale
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In this activity, learners make a simple spring-like scale using a rubber band instead of a spring, and calibrate the scale in newtons (N).
"Boyle-ing" Water
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In this activity, learners explore Boyle's Law and discover that water will boil at room temperature if its pressure is lowered.