Forces and Interactions

This is a youtube video of the highlights of the Red Bull space jump, it is 1:21 minutes long. To initiate driving questions for a unit on forces, students might ask: Why did Felix have to wear a spacesuit for the jump? How long was Felix falling? Wh ...

This is a video of the world’s largest vacuum chamber in which a feather and a bowling ball are dropped at the same time to see which one hits the ground first. This phenomena can be used to elicit driving questions for the unit such as: Why do ...

This simulation includes a wheeled cart on a horizontal surface that is tied to a mass with a string that passes over a pulley. The mass hangs over the edge of the table, and when the cart is released the mass accelerates down towards the ground. The ...

This resource includes an interactive simulation of a person in an elevator and can simulate riding upward or downward two different distances. There is a free body diagram of the person next to the image of the elevator and as the elevator moves the ...

This lesson is in the form of a lesson plan with teacher notes and a video that introduces the various parts of the activity including timed breaks for students to complete hands on activity related to the topic. This lesson introduces aerodynamics u ...

This reference is a series of assessment items that require that the students think through momentum conceptually, analyze graphs related to impulse and momentum, and work through calculations using momentum and impulse. There are energy and momentum ...

There are several tutorials on the page for this link. This review is under the subheading "Momentum and Energy." It is a small group tutorial that leads students through the construction of an understanding of the concept of momentum and its conserv ...

In this interactive simulation the learner can manipulate the masses, initial velocities, and elasticity of two colliding balls. The model displays several quantities before, during, and after the collision including velocities, momentum, center of m ...

This is a description of a student experiment that teachers can adapt to allow students to prove that electric current produces a magnetic field. The sample includes a specific example of how to do the experiment which can be adapted to an inquiry in ...

An interactive simulation in which students use a model of charged objects to explain how charges interact and construct an understanding of Coulomb's Law. It is concerned with comparing ions and neutral atoms. The model allows the user to invest ...

Students are walked through analyzing data representing  the dropping of a heavy ball and a light ball, making predictions before they see the position vs. time and velocity vs. time graphs for each of these actions. Follow up questions ask abou ...

This is a description of an inquiry lab in which students use skate boards, timers, length measuring equipment, and students to investigate the relationship between force and acceleration. In the process of their investigation the students will ident ...

Using this online interactive simulation, students can visualize the relationship between mass and separation of the objects on the magnitude of the force of gravity between two objects. The lesson guide includes questions that lead the student throu ...

This is a guide given in Science 8 class on Day 1.

Science Class Day 2 worksheet

Reading for Day 3 of Science, or to be used as a homework reading.

A collection of blog posts from the Library of Congress and Trey Smith, 2015-16 Science Teacher in Residence, about teaching science and engineering with historical primary sources.

300+ teacher developed middle school and high school challenge-based learning engineering units - created through University of Cincinnati NSF program

Students investigate passive solar building design with a focus on heating. Insulation, window placement, thermal mass, surface colors, and site orientation are addressed in the background materials and design preparation. Students test their project...

In this exercise learners use statistics (T-test using Excel) to analyze an authentic dataset from Lake Mendota in Madison, WI that spans the last 150 years to explore ice on/ice off dates. In addition, students are asked to investigate the IPCC Like...

This introductory video summarizes the process of generating solar electricity from photovoltaic and concentrating (thermal) solar power technologies.

This video introduces the concept of daylighting - the use of windows or skylights for natural lighting and temperature regulation - and how it is a building strategy that can save operating costs for homeowners and businesses.

This activity includes an assessment, analysis, and action tool that can be used by classrooms to promote understanding of how the complex current issues of energy, pollution, supply, and consumption are not just global but also local issues.

This introductory video describes the basic principles of residential geothermal heat pumps.

This video provides a simple introduction to wind turbines and how they generate electricity.

This introductory video covers the basic facts about how to keep residential and commercial roofs cool and why it is important to reducing the heat island effect and conserving energy.

This video from the U.S. National Academies summarizes the energy challenges the United States faces, including the technological challenges, and the need for changes in consumption and in energy policy.

This video provides an overview of the research of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on converting biomass to liquid fuels.

This activity is a learning game in which student teams are each assigned a different energy source. Working cooperatively, students use their reading, brainstorming, and organizational skills to hide the identity of their team’s energy source whil...

This Flash animation describes how hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) combine the benefits of gasoline engines and electric motors and can be configured to obtain different objectives, such as improved fuel economy, increased power, or additional auxili...

This is a series of 10 short videos, hosted by the National Science Foundation, each featuring scientists, research, and green technologies. The overall goal of this series is to encourage people to ask questions and look beyond fossil fuels for inno...

This is a utility-scale, land-based map of the mean annual wind speed 80 meters above the ground. This map can be used to evaluate the potential for wind energy in the US. State maps and more information are linked from the main map.

In this video clip from Earth: The Operators' Manual, host Richard Alley discusses China's efforts to develop clean energy technologies and to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere, by building coal plants using CO2 sequestration technology. (scroll down pa...

This slideshow lays out a photo story with short descriptions of how designers of city buildings all over the world are taking climate change and rising sea level seriously.

This is a long-term inquiry activity in which students investigate locations they believe harbor cellulose-digesting microbes, collect samples, isolate them on selective media, and screen them for cellulase activity. These novel microbes may be usefu...

This video reviews key points as well as pros and cons of nuclear power.

This 15-panel interactive from NOVA Online describes some of the factors (such as Earth's rotation and the sun's uneven heating of Earth's surface) contributing to the formation of the high-speed eastward flows of the jet streams, found near the top ...

A set of eight photographs compiled into a series of slides explain how urban areas are facing challenges in keeping both their infrastructure and their residents cool as global temperatures rise. Chicago is tackling that problem with a green design ...

This interactive addresses the question if we can reduce CO2 emissions by 20% of 1990 levels and help avoid dangerous climate change? Users of this interactive can manipulate changes to various sources and uses (supply and demand) of energy with the ...

In this hands-on activity, students explore whether rooftop gardens are a viable option for combating the urban heat island effect. The guiding question is: Can rooftop gardens reduce the temperature inside and outside of houses?

These five short videos are an introduction to the pros and cons of energy issues, including cost, choices, efficiency, environmental impact, and scale. The videos are segments of a feature documentary entitled, Switch: Discover the Future of Energy.

This interactive visualization provides information in text, graphic, and video format about renewable energy technologies. Resource in the Student's Guide to Global Climate Change, part of EPA Climate Change Division.

In this activity, students work through the process of evaluating the feasibility of photovoltaic solar power in 4 different US cities.

From TeachEngineering - Students are introduced to the concept of projectile motion, of which they are often familiar from life experiences, such as playing sports like basketball and baseball, even though they may not understand the physics involved...

Engineering Infusion with Waves

Balloon Cart Project

Newton's Third Law Paper Trampoline

Bristlebots

Mousetrap Car Challenge

Amusement Park Engineer-- Bumper Cars

Egg Lander--Motion Design CEPA

Golf Ball Boat

Bungee Jumping Cord Design

Pendulums--and the Beat Goes On

Guitar Designs--Exploring How Music is Made

Game On!

Design a Speaker

LED School Spirit

Lights Out! Zombie Apocalypse Flashlight

Powerpoints, videos, handouts on how to conduct a amazing STEM project: launching science experiments over 30km into the atmosphere (three times higher than commercial jets). These projects also incorporate a business component.

The goal of the Velocity: Free Fall virtual lab is to allow students to investigate how height and mass impact speed and time. Students conduct experiments to understand the relationship between a ball’s mass, its final speed and its acceleration whe...

The goal of the Velocity & Air Resistance virtual lab is to allow students to investigate how height and mass impact speed and time. Students conduct experiments to understand the relationship between a ball’s mass and volume, its final speed, and it...

The goal of this virtual lab is to allow students the opportunity to explore the factors that influence an object’s weight, primarily gravity and mass.

The goal of this virtual lab is to allow students the opportunity to explore the factors that influence an object’s weight, primarily gravity and mass.

The goal of the Gravity & Forces virtual lab is to allow students to investigate how a planet’s mass and orbital distance impact the force of gravity. Students conduct experiments to understand and confront misconceptions aound Newton’s Law of Gravit...

The goal of these virtual labs are to allow students the opportunity to investigate into different factors that can impact collisions. Students will cause the collision of two objects and learn how various properties affect velocity and momentum.

The goal of these virtual labs are to allow students the opportunity to investigate into different factors that can impact collisions. Students will cause the collision of two objects and learn how various properties affect velocity and momentum.

The goal of these virtual labs are to allow students the opportunity to investigate into different factors that can impact collisions. Students will cause the collision of two objects and learn how various properties affect velocity and momentum.

The goal of the Motion and Forces virtual lab is to allow students to investigate how forces impact the motion of a wooden sled. Students conduct experiments to understand the relationship between height, mass, friction, and gravity.

The goal of the Motion and Forces virtual lab is to allow students to investigate how forces impact the motion of a wooden sled. Students conduct experiments to understand the relationship between height, mass, friction, and gravity.

This free, four-part series includes videos, hands-on modeling activities and computer visualization tutorials that students can do in the classroom or at home.

I have developed a series of video based labs that allow students to 'make up' labs they missed, or for distance learning. The three I have so far are (1) constant velocity, (2) constant acceleration, and (3) acceleration and force/mass. The activiti...