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Showing results 21 to 40 of 85
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.
Building Bridges
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In this activity, learners explore the engineering design process and the basic mechanics behind building bridges as they build one themselves using gumdrops and toothpicks.
Hanging Around
Learners investigate weight by building a spring scale. They observe and record how it responds to objects with different masses.
Build A Treetop Walkway
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Build and test a scale model of a rainforest canopy walkway.
Weighty Questions
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In this activity about humans and space travel (page 1 of PDF), learners compare and contrast the behavior of a water-filled plastic bag, both outside and inside of a container of water.
Doughy Physics
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Learners drop two different masses of play dough and observe how long it takes them to hit the ground.
Swinging Yo-Yo
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Learners build a pendulum from a yo-yo, and then design their own experiment to determine what affects the pendulum's period of swing.
Egg Bungee Jump
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In this activity, learners design a bungee jump for an egg using nylon stockings.
Under Pressure
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In this simple activity, learners discover how a mere piece of paper can be used to hold up the weight of a heavy book.
Critical Load
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In this activity, learners explore the concepts of structural engineering and how to measure the critical load, or the maximum weight a structure can bear.
A Pressing Engagement
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In this quick and easy activity and/or demonstration, learners illustrate the effect of the weight of air over our heads.
Clay Bridges
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In this activity, learners make bridges using an oil-based modeling clay (plasticene). The instructions include discussion questions for both before and after bridge building.
Clay Beams and Columns
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In this activity, learners make or use pre-made clay beams to scale and proportion. Specifically, they discover that when you scale up proportionally (i.e.
Weight in Space
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In this activity, learners are challenged to calculate their own weight on various planets using a scale and calculator. Older learners may be challenged to do so without using calculators.
Wind Tube
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In this activity, learners explore moving air and the physics of lift and drag by constructing homemade wind tunnels.
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.
Paper Cup Stool
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In this activity, learners will explore how and why weight distribution works.
Bridge the Gap
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Learners work in groups to construct bridges using stale marshmallows and toothpicks.
Build a Bridge
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In this activity, learners use recycled materials to build a bridge that holds as many potatoes as possible. They investigate weight, height, strength, and measurement as they seek design solutions.