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Measure the Speed of a Water Leak
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In this activity (page 2 of PDF under GPS: Glaciers Activity), learners will measure the rate at which water streams out of a leaky cup.
How Can Gravity Make Something Go Up?
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In this activity, learners use cheap, thin plastic garbage bags to quickly build a solar hot air balloon. In doing so, learners will explore why hot air rises.
Floating Paper Clip
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In this activity, challenge learners to float a paper clip in a cup of water. Learners discover that a paper clip will sink in a cup of water, except when it is placed on a piece of paper towel.
Space Stations: Sponge Spool Spine
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In this activity, learners simulate what happens to a human spine in space by making Sponge Spool Spines (alternating sponge pieces and spools threaded on a pipe cleaner).
Gravity Fail
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In this activity, learners try pouring water out of a regular cup and a miniature cup. It’s harder than it sounds! Learners discover that different forces dominate at different size scales.
Beating Gravity
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In this demonstration, learners watch as a device drops a ball into a cup without touching the ball or cup, even though the ball and cup are virtually side-by-side.
Parabola Basketball
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In this activity, learners build mini-basketball courts and explore the laws of physics. Learners discover that everything you throw or shoot on earth travels in a parabola.
Hand Spin Helicopter
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In this activity, learners build helicopters and launchers using wooden dowels and scrap paper. Use this activity to explore rotational motion and kinetic and potential energy.
Gravity Fountains
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This activity (located on page 3 of the PDF under GPS: Glaciers Activity) is a full inquiry investigation into the forces of gravity and air pressure.
Above Water: Buoyancy & Displacement
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In an investigation called "Shape It!" learners craft tiny boats out of clay, set them afloat on water and then add weight loads to them, in order to explore: how objects stay afloat in water; what th
Does Size Make a Difference?
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In this activity on page 15 of the PDF, discover how materials and physical forces behave differently at the nanoscale.
Uplifting Force: Buoyancy & Density
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In this investigation, learners explore the force known as buoyancy by placing various objects into water and observing how they behave (for example, which sink more quickly, which float, how much wat
Balloon Flinker
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In this activity, learners make a helium balloon "flink"--neither float away nor sink to the ground. Use this activity to introduce physics concepts related to gravity, density, and weight.
Macchia Madness
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In this activity, learners explore the history of making objects from glass and artistry of Dale Chihuly.
Convection Demonstration
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In this quick activity (located on page 2 of the PDF under GPS: Balloon Fiesta Activity), learners will see the effects of convection and understand what makes hot air balloons rise.
Inverted Bottles
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In this activity, learners investigate convection by using food coloring and water of different temperatures.
Shrinking Cups
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This is a quick activity (on page 2 of the PDF under Gecko Feet Activity) about the forces of gravity and surface tension and how their behavior is influenced by size.
Drops on a Penny
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In this activity, challenge learners to predict and investigate how many water drops they can fit on one penny.
Space Stations: Measure Up!
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In this activity, learners work in pairs to measure each other's ankles with lengths of string.