This cluster includes the following access points.
Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this topic.
| Name |
Description |
| Engineering for Efficiency Part 1: | Using the case study, “It’s an Uphill/Downhill Battle,” (See CPALMS Resource ID#219139) students will work in pairs to identify the key issues the robots are experiencing in the case study. Students will then identify which of Newton’s laws applies to each problem and brainstorm possible solutions. |
| Elasticity: Studying How Solids Change Shape and Size: | This lesson's primary focus is to introduce high school students to the concept of Elasticity, which is one of the fundamental concepts in the understanding of the physics of deformation in solids. The main learning objectives are: (1) To understand the essential concept of Elasticity and be able to distinguish simple solids objects based on degree and extent of their elastic properties; (2) To appreciate the utility of the elastic force vs. deformation curve through experiments; (3) To be aware of potential sources of error present in such experiments and identify corrective measures; and (4) To appreciate the relevance of Elasticity in practical applications. |
| Bottled Up Energy: | This experimental design project deals with real life understanding of being assigned a group task, creating a budget, and providing evidence about the completion of the assigned task. The task in this case is that students are being asked to create a model of a car out of supplied materials and to test these designs. After each trial the students will analyze the data collected and make any improvements that are necessary. The teams will test all modifications and after analyzing the results of their trials, they will create a presentation to the class on how their design performed. |
| Lunar Rover Challenge : | In this Engineering Design Challenge, student teams will design a lunar rover. The students will calculate the velocity of the rovers, illustrate the movement through graphs, and complete written explanations. The LRV that can travel the greatest distance wins this challenge. |
| Let's Get It Started: Chemical Reaction Rates: | This one-day investigation begins with a teacher demonstration that introduces students to the nature of catalysts and how they influence chemical reaction rates. Students then formulate hypotheses and collect data on the effects of temperature and concentration of a reactant on reaction rates. Students will be able to graph their data (both individual and group) and compile/analyze class data using GeoGebra. |
| Hooke's Law and Simple Harmonic Motion: | Students will graphically determine the spring constant k using their knowledge of Newton's Laws of Motion and Hooke's Law and by determining the period of a weight on a spring undergoing simple harmonic motion. |
| The Adventures of "Shelly the Sea Turtle": | This is a hands-on activity that will keep your students engaged while learning about vectors. Students will create a map using provided coordinates that will plot the "Adventures of Shelly the Sea Turtle."
Students are given the opportunity to be creative and distinguish between scalar and vector quantities and assess which should be used used to describe an event. |
| Relatively Easy Relativity: | This lesson plan covers an exploration of the speed of light, and seeks to answer the question "why can't massive objects move at or above the speed of light?" using a student-created manipulative, algebra skills, and the expanded form of Einstein's famous matter-energy equivalence principle E = mc2, which is E2 = (mc2)2 + (pc)2, and the Pythagorean theorem. |
| How fast are you?: | Use students' competitive natures in this engaging lab on velocity. Students will learn how using a known distance and a measured time for a runner can be used to calculate their velocity. Students will graph the relationship between these two factors to see the correlation as a graphic representation. |
| X Marks the Spot: | This inquiry-lead activity that will engage students to discover the distinguishing qualities of scalars and vectors via a treasure hunt. |
| Lesson Plan for Designing, Building, and Launching Water Rockets: | The teacher brings the concepts presented in physics class to life through the experience of designing, building, and launching rockets. Acting as engineers, students will have the opportunity to match their ingenuity with the limits of the Laws of Physics in order to design a rocket that is aerodynamically sound. They must use their knowledge of Newton's laws, aerodynamic forces, and impulse and momentum to successfully meet the goal set by a control rocket. Their task is to increase the time flight, and altitude of their rocket without the usage of a recovery system.
Recordkeeping in the form of an engineering notebook will be encouraged as a vital tool, and will serve as the summative assessment. Students will be required to make daily entries throughout the duration of the challenge. |
| Newton Video Project: | Students will research and take Cornell Notes over Newton's Three Laws of Motion. Once the research is completed, students will create either an animated video or an actual video in which they will correctly name, describe or explain and apply using a real world example of each of the three laws. |
| Free Fall Clock and Reaction Time!: | This will be a lesson designed to introduce students to the concept of 9.81 m/s2 as a sort of clock that can be used for solving all kinematics equations where a = g. |
| Gas Laws: | Through this hands on activity, students will be able to identify the behavior of gases and the relationship between pressure and volume (Boyle's Law), volume and temperature (Charles' Law), and pressure and temperature (Gay-Lussac's Law) |
| Conservation of Linear Momentum: | This is an application based activity that allows students to question and explore the Conservation of Momentum and how it governs the natural world. It is designed for students who have a firm grasp on physical concepts of nature and mathematical derivations and manipulations. In this activity the teacher will use an Online Simulation titled "2D Elastic Collisions of Two Hard Spheres" to model idealistic elastic collisions and describe how mass and initial velocities can affect the post-collision momentum for each mass. The students will also be introduced to inelastic collisions and will compare these to elastic collisions. Students will fill out the attached lab worksheet and perform calculations based on manipulating the mathematical equation for Momentum Conservation. |
| Spinning Around - Angular Momentum: | Students are introduced to the concept of angular momentum using a Predict-Observe-Explain model demonstration involving a rotating stool, small weights, and a bicycle wheel with handles. If you do not have access to these materials, website links with appropriate videos are provided in the teacher materials. |
| To Be, or Not to Be...Conserved!: | This is an inquiry based activity that encourages student engagement with relevant lab procedures and class discussions. It is designed for students to explore and discover relationships about the Conservation of Momentum through a meaningful lab and with the guidance of teacher led discussions. In this activity, students are able to visualize how momentum occurs and how variable masses affect the momentum and velocity of the carts. |
| Florida Vacation Project- Distance, Displacement, Speed and Velocity: | This is a culminating lesson for a unit on Motion. Students will be asked to plan a vacation around Florida that includes 5 destinations. By generating and analyzing their own data students will apply knowledge of distance, displacement, speed and velocity to a real world experience. |
| Investigating Newton's Third Law: An Inquiry Based Lesson Plan: | This lesson provides an inquiry based approach that allows students to discover Newton's 3rd Law. In this lesson, students will use force sensors to measure the magnitude and direction of paired forces. The lab provides multiple experiments that allow the students to observe the magnitude and direction of paired forces for different situations. Upon completing the lab, the teacher can debrief the lab using class data to come up with a consensus for a definition for Newton's 3rd Law. Possible extensions of the lesson include using Newton's 3rd Law to design bottle rockets, or research the rocketry design process at firms such as NASA.
This lesson covers Newtons Third Law only of standard SC.912.P.12.3. |
| Story of a Graph: | Students will use their knowledge of position versus time and velocity versus time graphs to create their own. The graphs they will create will correlate to a story they develop. The hope is students have a better understanding of motion graphs because students are relating the motion graphs to a scenario they have designed.
This lesson does not cover acceleration.
|
| Solids, Liquids and Gases, Oh My!: |
- Students will investigate the three phases of water by measuring the temperature changes to ice as heat is applied and they record temperature changes.
- Students will graph the data (y) temperature and (x) time and connect the points to show what happens to temperature as water changes phases.
- Students will write a paragraph explaining how this process works.
|
| The Gumball Roll Lab: | This lesson is on motion of objects. Students will learn what factors affect the speed of an object through experimentation with gumballs rolling down an incline. The students will collect data through experimenting, create graphs from the data, interpret the slope of the graphs and create equations of lines from data points and the graph. They will understand the relationship of speed and velocity and be able to relate the velocity formula to the slope intercept form of the equation of a line. |
| Collision On The Tracks: | This is a lab activity focusing on Newton's Second Law of Motion. Students will investigate how both mass and force affect the acceleration of an object. |
| Boyle's Law Bell Jar POEs: | This is a fun way to introduce Boyle's Law to students. Predict-Observe-Explain models are used to encourage students to think about what will happen to the volume of four different objects (balloon, marshmallow, cotton ball, and penny) when they are placed into a bell jar and the air is removed. They are then challenged to come up with an explanation for their observations. Students are surprised by the outcomes and excited by some of the results. |
| Pendulum Conundrum Inquiry Lab: | In this exploration, students will answer the following essential questions:
- How does the length of a pendulum impact how long it takes to swing back and forth?
- How does the amount of mass hanging from a pendulum impact the amount of time to swing back and forth?
- How can we calculate the value of acceleration due to gravity (g) from the behavior of a moving pendulum (optional activity for math reinforcement)?
|
| Stop That Arguing: | Students will explore representing the movement of objects and the relationship between the various forms of representation: verbal descriptions, value tables, graphs, and equations. These representations include speed, starting position, and direction. This exploration includes brief direct instruction, guided practice in the form of a game, and independent practice in the form of a word problem. Students will demonstrate understanding of this concept through a written commitment of their answer to the word problem supported with evidence from value tables, graphs, and equations. |
| A New View: Space Exploration: | This MEA is about space exploration. Students will review data on six extrasolar planets and determine which one would be most feasible to explore first.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom. |
| Olympic Snowboard Design: | This MEA requires students to design a custom snowboard for five Olympic athletes, taking into consideration how their height and weight affect the design elements of a snowboard. There are several factors that go into the design of a snowboard, and the students must use reasoning skills to determine which factors are more important and why, as well as what factors to eliminate or add based on the athlete's style and preferences. After the students have designed a board for each athlete, they will report their procedure and reasons for their decisions. |
| The Physics of Pool: | The objective of this lesson is to illustrate how a common everyday experience (such as playing pool) can often provide a learning moment.
In the example chosen, we use the game of pool to help explain some key concepts of physics. One of these concepts is the conservation of linear momentum since conservation laws play an extremely important role in many aspects of physics. The idea that a certain property of a system is maintained before and after something happens is quite central to many principles in physics and in the pool example, we concentrate on the conservation of linear momentum. The latter half of the video looks at angular momentum and friction, examining why certain objects roll, as opposed to slide. We do this by looking at how striking a ball with a cue stick at different locations produces different effects.
Though not required, students who have been exposed to some physics would benefit most from this video. In mathematically rigorous classes, students can concentrate on the details of vectors and conservation of linear momentum.
No materials are required for this lesson, and it can be completed easily within a class period. |
| Temperature, Volume, and Rate of Reaction: | This one-two day lab will allow students to collect data on temperature, volume, and rate for a reaction in a closed system. Heat speeds up the reaction, altering both volume and rate due to an increase in energy. Students will be able to graph their own lab group's data and compile class data if Google docs is available. They can then look at correlations between temperature, volume, and rate of reaction. |
| BIOSCOPES Summer Institute 2013 - Forces: | This lesson is designed to be part of a sequence of lessons. It follows resource 52937 "BIOSCOPES Summer Institute 2013 - Motion" and precedes resource 52910 "BIOSCOPES Summer Institute 2013 - Mechanical Energy." This lesson uses a predict, observe, and explain approach along with inquiry based activities to enhance student understanding of Newton's three laws of motion. |
| BIOSCOPES Summer Institute 2013 - Solutions: | This lesson is designed to be part of a sequence of lessons. It follows CPALMS Resource #52705 "BIOSCOPES Summer Institute 2013 - States of Matter" and precedes CPALMS Resource #52961 "BIOSCOPES Summer Institute 2013 - Atomic Models." The lesson employs a predict, observe, explain approach along with inquiry-based activities to enhance student understanding of properties aqueous solutions in terms of the kinetic molecular theory and intermolecular forces. |
| BIOSCOPES Summer Institute 2013 - States of Matter: | This lesson is designed to be part of a sequence of lessons. It follows CPALMS Resource #52957 "BIOSCOPES Summer Institute 2013 - Thermal Energy" and precedes CPALMS Resource #52961 "BIOSCOPES Summer Institute 2013 - Solutions." The lesson employs a predict, observe, explain approach along with inquiry-based activities to enhance student understanding of states of matter and phase changes in terms of the kinetic molecular theory. |
| BIOSCOPES Summer Institute 2013 - Motion: | This lesson is the first in a sequence of grade 9-12 physical science lessons that are organized around the big ideas that frame motion, forces, and energy. It directly precedes resource # 52648 "BIOSCOPES Summer Institute 2013 - Forces." This lesson is designed along the lines of an iterative 5-E learning cycle and employs a predict, observe, and explain (POE) activity at the beginning of the "Engage" phase in order to elicit student prior knowledge. The POE is followed by a sequence of inquiry-based activities and class discussions that are geared toward leading the students systematically through the exploration of 1-dimensional motion concepts. Included in this resource is a summative assessment as well as a teacher guide for each activity.
|
| Motion: Speed and Velocity: | In this lesson students should be able to :
- Identify appropriate SI units for measuring speed.
- Compare and contrast average speed and instantaneous speed.
- Interpret position-time graphs.
- Calculate the speed of an object using slopes.
|
| Acceleration: | In this lesson students will learn to:
- Identify changes in motion that produce acceleration.
- Describe examples of objects moving with constant acceleration.
- Calculate the acceleration of an object, analytically, and graphically.
- Interpret velocity-time graph, and explain the meaning of the slope.
- Classify acceleration as positive, negative, and zero.
- Describe instantaneous acceleration.
|
| Discovering Newton's Third Law: | Students will investigate interacting forces between two objects. |
| Splash and Learn: | Students will utilize their knowledge about projectiles to devise a method to launch a water balloon so that it lands on a 1 meter square cloth target at least 25 meters away. If they hit the target with the balloon (not just splash a few drops on it), they receive extra credit on the lab. |
| How Fast Do Objects Fall?: | Students will investigate falling objects with very low air friction. |
| Falling for Gravity: | Students will investigate the motion of three objects of different masses undergoing free fall. Additionally, students will:
- Use spark timers to collect displacement and time data.
- Use this data to calculate the average velocity for the object during each interval.
- Graph this data on a velocity versus time graph, V-t. They find the slope of this graph to calculate acceleration.
- Calculate the falling object's acceleration from their data table and graph this data on an acceleration versus time graph, a-t.
- Use their Spark timer data paper, cut it into intervals, and paste these intervals into their displacement versus time graph.
|
| Ramp It Up: | Using inquiry techniques, students, working in groups, are asked to design and conduct experiments to test the Law of Conservation of Energy and the Law of Conservation of Momentum. Upon being provided with textbooks, rulers, measuring tapes, stopwatches, mini-storage containers, golf balls, marbles, rubber balls, steel balls, and pennies, they work cooperatively to implement and revise their hypotheses. With limited guidance from the teacher, students are able to visualize the relationships between mass, velocity, height, gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy, and total energy as well as the relationships between mass, velocity, and momentum. |
| Heating Curve of Water: | The lesson is inquiry based, asking students to investigate phase changes and kinetic molecular theory. They are to measure and graph the heating of water while correctly analyzing how the particles kinetic energy changes through each phase change. |
| Forced To Learn: | Using inquiry techniques, students, working in groups, are asked to design and conduct an experiment to test Newton's Second Law of Motion. Upon being provided with textbooks, rulers, measuring tapes, mini-storage containers, golf balls, marbles, rubber balls, steel balls, and pennies they work cooperatively to implement and revise their hypotheses. With limited guidance from the teacher, students are able to visualize the direct relationships between force and mass; force and acceleration; and the inverse relationship between mass and acceleration. |
| Applying Newton's Second Law: | Students will investigate how acceleration of an object is affected by the mass of the object and by the applied force on the object. |
| Distance and Displacement.: |
- In this lesson students, will be able to identify frames of reference and describe how they are used to measure motion.
- Identify appropriate SI units for measuring distances.
- Distinguish between distance and displacement.
- Calculate displacement using vector addition.
|
| Racing Hotwheels: | Students will investigate acceleration by releasing a toy car down a ramp.
They will collect data, calculate the velocity of the car as it goes down a ramp, graph this velocity verses time, and then find the slope of the V/T graph. They will understand that this represents the acceleration of the velocity of the car ((v2-v1) = a * (t2-t1)).
They will also plot an acceleration verses time graph (A/T), and use this graph to calculate the velocity of the car and for a certain time interval, A * T = V |
| Riding the Roller Coaster of Success: | Students compete with one another to design and build a roller coaster from insulation tubing and tape that will allow a marble to travel from start to finish with the lowest average velocity. In so doing, students learn about differences between distance and displacement, speed and velocity, and potential and kinetic energy. They also examine the Law of Conservation of Energy and concepts related to force and motion. |
| Linear Motion: | The lesson explores ways for students to describe linear motion and investigate relationships between the velocity, acceleration, and the concepts of vector/scalar quantities. |
| Linear Motion: | In this activity students will learn the relationship between:
- Distance and displacement
- Velocity and speed
- Vectors and scalars
- Acceleration
and demonstrate their knowledge through group presentations. |
| Chemical Reaction Rates: Inquiry on Affecting Factors: | Chemical reaction rates can differ when different factors are present. The lesson focuses on the main rate changing contributors: temperature, concentration, surface area, and catalysts. Students are intended to learn through several inquiry based lab stations with minimal teacher guidance. The labs are of thought and observational base with little complexity in construction. |
| Momentum and the Law of Conservation of Momentum: A Student-Centered Lesson: | This is a largely self-paced unit for students to learn the basics of Momentum as well as the Law of Conservation of Momentum. Students complete two investigative exercises (one hands-on, the other virtual). They then are directed to read a website (or a textbook could be substituted) and take notes with the teacher"s support as needed. After taking their own notes, students complete a worksheet to practice calculations involving the Law of Conservation of Momentum. At the end of the unit, students take a traditional summative assessment with True/False, multiple-choice, and fill-in-the-blank questions along with a calculations section. Note that this lesson only covers the basics of linear momentum and does not include impulse or angular momentum. |
| Newton's Three Laws of Motion: A Student-Centered Approach: | This is an extended lesson that will take approximately two to three weeks to complete. Students begin by completing an inertial balance lab, which includes a graphing and data analysis component, in order to introduce them to Newton's First Law of Motion. Students then go on to complete a Webquest to reinforce Newton's First Law and to learn about Newton's Second Law and Free-body Diagrams. The class then participates in a demonstration to learn Newton's Third Law of Motion. Students then either complete a worksheet to practice calculations involving Newton's Second Law or an inquiry lab to understand how Newton's Laws can be used to build Balloon Rocket Cars (or both!). Finally, students complete an original project by writing a letter, recording a song, or creating a poster to demonstrate their mastery of Newton's Three Laws of Motion. |
| Picture This!: | This is a short unit plan that covers position/time and velocity/time graphs. Students are provided with new material on both topics, will have practice worksheets, and group activities to develop an understanding of motion graphs. |
| How Mosquitoes Can Fly in the Rain: | In this lesson, we learn how insects can fly in the rain. The objective is to calculate the impact forces of raindrops on flying mosquitoes. Students will gain experience with using Newton's laws, gathering data from videos and graphs, and most importantly, the utility of making approximations. No calculus will be used in this lesson, but familiarity with torque and force balances is suggested. No calculators will be needed, but students should have pencil and paper to make estimations and, if possible, copies of the graphs provided with the lesson. Between lessons, students are recommended to discuss the assignments with their neighbors. |
| How high is that railing, anyway?: | This is a short activity where students are able to determine the height of an elevated railing by using the equations associated with freefall. This lesson may also be appropriate for analyzing graphs related to position/velocity/acceleration versus time. |
| Gas Laws: | This is a "gold star" lesson plan that incorporates the virtual manipulative "Gas Properties" from PhET (University of Colorado). Students investigate properties of gases, represent predictions graphically, test predictions using the manipulative, and then extend the knowledge into real investigations (i.e. non virtual). |
| Brain Trauma: | Students investigate how bicycle helmets protect the brain from forces related to sudden changes in motion. |
| Animating Motion: | A lesson plan inclusive of three lesson challenges, which encompass space science, engineering, physics and math. Students apply knowledge of object motion by animating sequences of pictures that model a set of physical conditions such as the orbital motion, gravitational force, and relative motion. |
| Amusement Park Physics: | Students will research various types of amusement park rides and use their findings to design a feasible ride of their own. They will summarize their findings and present their ride design to the class. Each student will then write a persuasive letter to a local amusement park describing the reasons their ride design is the best. |
| An Introduction to the Physics of Sailing: | The goal of this lesson is to explain how sailboats work by exploring basic physics principles. At the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify the forces acting on a sailboat and explain how the combination of these forces results in the forward motion of a sailboat. Students should be familiar with vectors and be able to use them to represent forces and moments, and also should be familiar with using free body diagrams to represent forces and moments. The classroom activity challenges are centered around small-group discussions based on the questions posed before each break. Free body diagrams, or another conceptual representation of his or her answer, should support each student’s solution to the questions posed in the video. |
| Constant Velocity using the Buggy Car: | Students explore constant velocity through collecting data on a motorized buggy car. They collect data, graph their Displacement - Time (D-T) data to find the slope of the line and thus the velocity of their buggy car. They then formulate the D = V * t equation gotten from their graph and use it to extrapolate variables. Then they plot the Velocity - Time (V-T) to explore finding Displacement through that graph. They formulate V*t = Displacement from this graph. Finally, they use this equation to extrapolate "what if" questions about their buggy car. |
| Hanging by a Thread: | This lesson focuses on two elements: understanding Newton’s laws of motion, and how to use Newton’s laws to create force diagrams. This lesson also demonstrates how to incorporate requirements of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) into a physics lesson. It uses a discrepant event (phenomenon) to model forces at work on an object resulting in motion. |
| SMALL: Shape Memory Alloy Lab: | Shape Memory Alloys are metals that can return to or 'remember' their original shape. They are a cutting edge application for Chemistry, Physics, and Integrated Science. The activities in this lesson work well for the study of forces, Newton's Laws, and electricity in physics. They also lend themselves well to crystalline structures, heat of reaction, and bonding in chemistry. In addition, students could study applications for the materials in the medical and space industries. |
| Name |
Description |
| Newton's three laws of motion: | This website has a short biography about Sir Isaac Newton. It also reviews his three laws of motion with examples, and ends with a short quiz. |
| Collision lab: | Learn more about collisions with the use of a virtual air hockey table. Investigate simple and complex collisions in one and two dimensions.Experiment with the number of discs, masses and initial conditions. Vary the elasticity and see how the total momentum and kinetic energy changes during collisions.
Some of the sample learning goals can be:
- Draw "Before and After" pictures of collisions.
- Construct momentum vector representations of "Before and After" collisions.
- Apply law of conservation of momentum to solve problems with collisions.
- Explain why energy is not conserved and varies in some collisions.
- Determine the change in mechanical energy in collisions of varying "elasticity".
- What does "elasticity" mean?
|
| Equilibrium Constant: |
Chemical equilibrium is the condition which occurs when the concentration of reactants and products participating in a chemical reaction exhibit no net change over time. This simulation shows a model of an equilibrium system for a uni-molecular reaction. The value for the equilibrium constant, K, can be set in the simulation, to observe the reaction reaching the constant.
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| Ladybug Motion 2D: | Learn about position, velocity and acceleration vectors. Move the ladybug by setting the position, velocity or acceleration, and see how the vectors change. Choose linear, circular or elliptical motion, and record and playback the motion to analyze the behavior. |
| Coulomb's Law: |
This virtual manipulative will help the learners understand Coulomb's law which is the fundamental principle of electrostatics. It is the force of attraction or repulsion between two charged particles which is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the distance between them.
|
| The Collision theory of Chemical Reaction: | This virtual manipulative will help the students to understand that in order for a chemical reaction to take place the reactants must collide. The collision between the molecules must provide the amount of kinetic energy needed to break the molecular bonds and form new ones. Students can control the speed of the simulation to observe the collision and can also reset the initial energy settings to high or low to show that some chemical reactions will not occur in low energy (or low temperature) settings. |
| Step Growth Polymerization: |
This activity will help the students learn about the polymerization. The process of polymerization can be classified into two categories: Chain growth polymerization and step growth polymerization. In this activity students will understand the process of step growth polymerization in which bi-functional or multi-functional monomers react to form polymers.
|
| Centrifugal Reaction Force: |
The present activity will help the students understand the centrifugal force which is an outward force experienced by an object travelling in a circle. Students will recognize that this force depends on the mass of the object, the speed of rotation, and the distance from the center. It is important to make the students understand that centrifugal force does not actually exit, it appears quite real to the object being rotated and students can understand this concept while playing with the virtual manipulative.
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| PhysClips: | Vast collection of multimedia resources in mechanics, waves and relativity. |
| Newton's Cradle : | This virtual manipulative will demonstrate the conservation of momentum and energy via a series of spheres. Students will understand that when one sphere on the end is lifted and released, the resulting force travels through the line and pushes the last on upward. |
| CurveBall Expert Version: |
- Manipulagte and watch the effects of the forces acting on a baseball
- Control conditions such as height, release velocity, spin, and distance
- View different reference frames of the ball's path
|
| A Hydraulic Lever: | This simulated activity will help understand and apply Pascal's principle which states that pressure is transmitted undiminished in an enclosed static fluid. This is the theoretical foundation of hydraulic levers. |
| Molarity: |
This virtual manipulative will help the students understand what determines the concentration of a solution. They will learn about the relationships between moles, liters and molarity by adjusting the amount of solute, and solution volume. Students can change solutes to compare different chemical compounds in water.
Some of the sample learning goals can be:
- Describe the relationships between volume and amount of solute to concentration
- Explain how solution color and concentration are related.
- Calculate the concentration of solutions in units of molarity (mol/L)
- Compare solubility limits between solutes.
|
| Reversible Reactions: | This virtual manipulative will allow you to watch a reaction proceed over time. You can vary temperature, barrier height, and potential energies to note how total energy affects reaction rate. You will be able to record concentrations and time in order to extract rate coefficients.
Additionally you can:
- Describe on a microscopic level, with illustrations, how reactions occur.
- Describe how the motion of reactant molecules (speed and direction) contributes to a reaction happening.
- Predict how changes in temperature, or use of a catalyst will affect the rate of a reaction.
- On the potential energy curve, identify the activation energy for forward and reverse reactions and the energy change between reactants and products.
- Form a graph of concentrations as a function of time, students should be able to identify when a system has reached equilibrium.
- Calculate a rate coefficient from concentration and time data.
- Determine how a rate coefficient changes with temperature.
- Compare graphs of concentration versus time to determine which represents the fastest or slowest rate.
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| Reactions Rates: | This virtual manipulative will allow you to explore what makes a reaction happen by colliding atoms and molecules. Design your own experiments with different reactions, concentrations, and temperatures. Recognize what affects the rate of a reaction.
Areas to Explore:
- Explain why and how a pinball shooter can be used to help understand ideas about reactions.
- Describe on a microscopic level what contributes to a successful reaction.
- Describe how the reaction coordinate can be used to predict whether a reaction will proceed or slow.
- Use the potential energy diagram to determine : The activation energy for the forward and reverse reactions; The difference in energy between reactants and products; The relative potential energies of the molecules at different positions on a reaction coordinate.
- Draw a potential energy diagram from the energies of reactants and products and activation energy.
- Predict how raising or lowering the temperature will affect a system in the equilibrium.
|
| The Moving Man: | This virtual manipulative will the students learn about position, velocity and acceleration. Acceleration is the derivative of velocity with respect to time and the velocity is the derivative of position with respect to time. With the elimination of time, the relationship between the acceleration, velocity and position can be represented as x = v2 / 2a. In the stimulation, students will be able to move the man back and forth with the mouse and plot his motion.
Some of the sample learning goals can be:
- Interpret, predict and draw charts (position, velocity, and acceleration) for common situations.
- Provide reasoning used to make sense of the charts.
|
| Balloons and Buoyancy: | This simulation will provide an insight into the properties of gases. You can explore the more advanced features which enables you to explore three physical situations: Hot Air Balloon (rigid open container with its own heat source), Rigid Sphere (rigid closed container), and Helium Balloon (elastic closed container).
Through this activity you can:
- Determine what causes the balloon, rigid sphere, and helium balloon to rise up or fall down in the box.
- Predict how changing a variable among Pressure, Volume, Temperature and number influences the motion of the balloons.
|
| Gravity Force Lab: | This virtual manipulative will allow you to visualize the gravitational force that two objects exert on each other. By changing the properties of the objects, you can see how the gravitational force changes.
Some areas to explore:
- Relate gravitational force to masses of objects and distance between objects.
- Explain Newton's third law for gravitational forces.
- Design experiments that allow you to derive an equation that related mass, distance, and gravitational force.
- Use measurements to determine the universal gravitational constant.
|
| Beer's Law Lab: | This activity will allow you to make colorful concentrated and dilute solutions and explore how much light they absorb and transmit using a virtual spectrophotometer.
You can explore concepts in many ways including:
- Describe the relationships between volume and amount of solute to solution concentration.
- Explain qualitatively the relationship between solution color and concentration.
- Predict and explain how solution concentration will change for adding or removing: water, solute, and/or solution.
- Calculate the concentration of solutions in units of molarity (mol/L).
- Design a procedure for creating a solution of a given concentration.
- Identify when a solution is saturated and predict how concentration will change for adding or removing: water, solute, and/or solution.
- Describe the relationship between the solution concentration and the intensity of light that is absorbed/transmitted.
- Describe the relationship between absorbance, molar absorptivity, path length, and concentration in Beer's Law.
- Predict how the intensity of light absorbed/transmitted will change with changes in solution type, solution concentration, container width, or light source and explain why?
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| Ramp: Forces and Motion: | This simulation allows you to explore forces and motion as you push household objects up and down a ramp. Observe how the angle of inclination affects the parallel forces. Graphical representation of forces, energy and work makes it easier to understand the concept.
Some of the learning goals can be:
- Predict, qualitatively, how an external force will affect the speed and direction of an object's motion.
- Explain the effects with the help of a free body diagram
- Use free body diagrams to draw position, velocity, acceleration and force graphs and vice versa.
- Explain how the graphs relate to one another.
- Given a scenario or a graph, sketch all four graphs.
|
| Motion in 2D: | The students will drag a red point across the screen in any direction they please and, in the process, will be able to see the forces that are being put on that point at any given moment. |
| Maze Game: | The students will try to move a red ball into a blue goal without touching the walls. They will have fun competing amongst themselves to get the best time but at the same time they will also be learning about vectors, velocity, and acceleration. |
| Projectile Motion: | This simulation demonstrates the physics of projectile motion. The user can fire different objects through a cannon, set its speed, angle and mass and observe the resultant motion. |
| Energy Skate Park: | The students will make ramps and hills for a skateboarder to ride on. Students will explore the relationship between kinetic and potential energy, as well as thermal energy. Several variables, such as gravity, mass of skater, and friction can be manipulated. You can even test your skater in space! Amount of energy can be displayed in pie and bar graphs. |
| PhET Gas Properties: | This virtual manipulative allows you to investigate various aspects of gases through virtual experimentation. From the site: Pump gas molecules to a box and see what happens as you change the volume, add or remove heat, change gravity, and more (open the box, change the molecular weight of the molecule). Measure the temperature and pressure, and discover how the properties of the gas vary in relation to each other. |
Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this topic.
| Title |
Description |
| Newton's three laws of motion: | This website has a short biography about Sir Isaac Newton. It also reviews his three laws of motion with examples, and ends with a short quiz. |
| Collision lab: | Learn more about collisions with the use of a virtual air hockey table. Investigate simple and complex collisions in one and two dimensions.Experiment with the number of discs, masses and initial conditions. Vary the elasticity and see how the total momentum and kinetic energy changes during collisions.
Some of the sample learning goals can be:
- Draw "Before and After" pictures of collisions.
- Construct momentum vector representations of "Before and After" collisions.
- Apply law of conservation of momentum to solve problems with collisions.
- Explain why energy is not conserved and varies in some collisions.
- Determine the change in mechanical energy in collisions of varying "elasticity".
- What does "elasticity" mean?
|
| Equilibrium Constant: |
Chemical equilibrium is the condition which occurs when the concentration of reactants and products participating in a chemical reaction exhibit no net change over time. This simulation shows a model of an equilibrium system for a uni-molecular reaction. The value for the equilibrium constant, K, can be set in the simulation, to observe the reaction reaching the constant.
|
| Reversible Reactions: | This virtual manipulative will allow you to watch a reaction proceed over time. You can vary temperature, barrier height, and potential energies to note how total energy affects reaction rate. You will be able to record concentrations and time in order to extract rate coefficients.
Additionally you can:
- Describe on a microscopic level, with illustrations, how reactions occur.
- Describe how the motion of reactant molecules (speed and direction) contributes to a reaction happening.
- Predict how changes in temperature, or use of a catalyst will affect the rate of a reaction.
- On the potential energy curve, identify the activation energy for forward and reverse reactions and the energy change between reactants and products.
- Form a graph of concentrations as a function of time, students should be able to identify when a system has reached equilibrium.
- Calculate a rate coefficient from concentration and time data.
- Determine how a rate coefficient changes with temperature.
- Compare graphs of concentration versus time to determine which represents the fastest or slowest rate.
|
| Reactions Rates: | This virtual manipulative will allow you to explore what makes a reaction happen by colliding atoms and molecules. Design your own experiments with different reactions, concentrations, and temperatures. Recognize what affects the rate of a reaction.
Areas to Explore:
- Explain why and how a pinball shooter can be used to help understand ideas about reactions.
- Describe on a microscopic level what contributes to a successful reaction.
- Describe how the reaction coordinate can be used to predict whether a reaction will proceed or slow.
- Use the potential energy diagram to determine : The activation energy for the forward and reverse reactions; The difference in energy between reactants and products; The relative potential energies of the molecules at different positions on a reaction coordinate.
- Draw a potential energy diagram from the energies of reactants and products and activation energy.
- Predict how raising or lowering the temperature will affect a system in the equilibrium.
|
| The Moving Man: | This virtual manipulative will the students learn about position, velocity and acceleration. Acceleration is the derivative of velocity with respect to time and the velocity is the derivative of position with respect to time. With the elimination of time, the relationship between the acceleration, velocity and position can be represented as x = v2 / 2a. In the stimulation, students will be able to move the man back and forth with the mouse and plot his motion.
Some of the sample learning goals can be:
- Interpret, predict and draw charts (position, velocity, and acceleration) for common situations.
- Provide reasoning used to make sense of the charts.
|
| Balloons and Buoyancy: | This simulation will provide an insight into the properties of gases. You can explore the more advanced features which enables you to explore three physical situations: Hot Air Balloon (rigid open container with its own heat source), Rigid Sphere (rigid closed container), and Helium Balloon (elastic closed container).
Through this activity you can:
- Determine what causes the balloon, rigid sphere, and helium balloon to rise up or fall down in the box.
- Predict how changing a variable among Pressure, Volume, Temperature and number influences the motion of the balloons.
|
| Gravity Force Lab: | This virtual manipulative will allow you to visualize the gravitational force that two objects exert on each other. By changing the properties of the objects, you can see how the gravitational force changes.
Some areas to explore:
- Relate gravitational force to masses of objects and distance between objects.
- Explain Newton's third law for gravitational forces.
- Design experiments that allow you to derive an equation that related mass, distance, and gravitational force.
- Use measurements to determine the universal gravitational constant.
|
| Beer's Law Lab: | This activity will allow you to make colorful concentrated and dilute solutions and explore how much light they absorb and transmit using a virtual spectrophotometer.
You can explore concepts in many ways including:
- Describe the relationships between volume and amount of solute to solution concentration.
- Explain qualitatively the relationship between solution color and concentration.
- Predict and explain how solution concentration will change for adding or removing: water, solute, and/or solution.
- Calculate the concentration of solutions in units of molarity (mol/L).
- Design a procedure for creating a solution of a given concentration.
- Identify when a solution is saturated and predict how concentration will change for adding or removing: water, solute, and/or solution.
- Describe the relationship between the solution concentration and the intensity of light that is absorbed/transmitted.
- Describe the relationship between absorbance, molar absorptivity, path length, and concentration in Beer's Law.
- Predict how the intensity of light absorbed/transmitted will change with changes in solution type, solution concentration, container width, or light source and explain why?
|
| Ramp: Forces and Motion: | This simulation allows you to explore forces and motion as you push household objects up and down a ramp. Observe how the angle of inclination affects the parallel forces. Graphical representation of forces, energy and work makes it easier to understand the concept.
Some of the learning goals can be:
- Predict, qualitatively, how an external force will affect the speed and direction of an object's motion.
- Explain the effects with the help of a free body diagram
- Use free body diagrams to draw position, velocity, acceleration and force graphs and vice versa.
- Explain how the graphs relate to one another.
- Given a scenario or a graph, sketch all four graphs.
|
| Motion in 2D: | The students will drag a red point across the screen in any direction they please and, in the process, will be able to see the forces that are being put on that point at any given moment. |
| Maze Game: | The students will try to move a red ball into a blue goal without touching the walls. They will have fun competing amongst themselves to get the best time but at the same time they will also be learning about vectors, velocity, and acceleration. |
| Projectile Motion: | This simulation demonstrates the physics of projectile motion. The user can fire different objects through a cannon, set its speed, angle and mass and observe the resultant motion. |
| PhET Gas Properties: | This virtual manipulative allows you to investigate various aspects of gases through virtual experimentation. From the site: Pump gas molecules to a box and see what happens as you change the volume, add or remove heat, change gravity, and more (open the box, change the molecular weight of the molecule). Measure the temperature and pressure, and discover how the properties of the gas vary in relation to each other. |
Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this topic.
| Title |
Description |
| Collision lab: | Learn more about collisions with the use of a virtual air hockey table. Investigate simple and complex collisions in one and two dimensions.Experiment with the number of discs, masses and initial conditions. Vary the elasticity and see how the total momentum and kinetic energy changes during collisions.
Some of the sample learning goals can be:
- Draw "Before and After" pictures of collisions.
- Construct momentum vector representations of "Before and After" collisions.
- Apply law of conservation of momentum to solve problems with collisions.
- Explain why energy is not conserved and varies in some collisions.
- Determine the change in mechanical energy in collisions of varying "elasticity".
- What does "elasticity" mean?
|
| Equilibrium Constant: |
Chemical equilibrium is the condition which occurs when the concentration of reactants and products participating in a chemical reaction exhibit no net change over time. This simulation shows a model of an equilibrium system for a uni-molecular reaction. The value for the equilibrium constant, K, can be set in the simulation, to observe the reaction reaching the constant.
|
| Coulomb's Law: |
This virtual manipulative will help the learners understand Coulomb's law which is the fundamental principle of electrostatics. It is the force of attraction or repulsion between two charged particles which is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the distance between them.
|
| The Collision theory of Chemical Reaction: | This virtual manipulative will help the students to understand that in order for a chemical reaction to take place the reactants must collide. The collision between the molecules must provide the amount of kinetic energy needed to break the molecular bonds and form new ones. Students can control the speed of the simulation to observe the collision and can also reset the initial energy settings to high or low to show that some chemical reactions will not occur in low energy (or low temperature) settings. |
| Step Growth Polymerization: |
This activity will help the students learn about the polymerization. The process of polymerization can be classified into two categories: Chain growth polymerization and step growth polymerization. In this activity students will understand the process of step growth polymerization in which bi-functional or multi-functional monomers react to form polymers.
|
| A Hydraulic Lever: | This simulated activity will help understand and apply Pascal's principle which states that pressure is transmitted undiminished in an enclosed static fluid. This is the theoretical foundation of hydraulic levers. |
| Molarity: |
This virtual manipulative will help the students understand what determines the concentration of a solution. They will learn about the relationships between moles, liters and molarity by adjusting the amount of solute, and solution volume. Students can change solutes to compare different chemical compounds in water.
Some of the sample learning goals can be:
- Describe the relationships between volume and amount of solute to concentration
- Explain how solution color and concentration are related.
- Calculate the concentration of solutions in units of molarity (mol/L)
- Compare solubility limits between solutes.
|
| Reversible Reactions: | This virtual manipulative will allow you to watch a reaction proceed over time. You can vary temperature, barrier height, and potential energies to note how total energy affects reaction rate. You will be able to record concentrations and time in order to extract rate coefficients.
Additionally you can:
- Describe on a microscopic level, with illustrations, how reactions occur.
- Describe how the motion of reactant molecules (speed and direction) contributes to a reaction happening.
- Predict how changes in temperature, or use of a catalyst will affect the rate of a reaction.
- On the potential energy curve, identify the activation energy for forward and reverse reactions and the energy change between reactants and products.
- Form a graph of concentrations as a function of time, students should be able to identify when a system has reached equilibrium.
- Calculate a rate coefficient from concentration and time data.
- Determine how a rate coefficient changes with temperature.
- Compare graphs of concentration versus time to determine which represents the fastest or slowest rate.
|
| Reactions Rates: | This virtual manipulative will allow you to explore what makes a reaction happen by colliding atoms and molecules. Design your own experiments with different reactions, concentrations, and temperatures. Recognize what affects the rate of a reaction.
Areas to Explore:
- Explain why and how a pinball shooter can be used to help understand ideas about reactions.
- Describe on a microscopic level what contributes to a successful reaction.
- Describe how the reaction coordinate can be used to predict whether a reaction will proceed or slow.
- Use the potential energy diagram to determine : The activation energy for the forward and reverse reactions; The difference in energy between reactants and products; The relative potential energies of the molecules at different positions on a reaction coordinate.
- Draw a potential energy diagram from the energies of reactants and products and activation energy.
- Predict how raising or lowering the temperature will affect a system in the equilibrium.
|
| The Moving Man: | This virtual manipulative will the students learn about position, velocity and acceleration. Acceleration is the derivative of velocity with respect to time and the velocity is the derivative of position with respect to time. With the elimination of time, the relationship between the acceleration, velocity and position can be represented as x = v2 / 2a. In the stimulation, students will be able to move the man back and forth with the mouse and plot his motion.
Some of the sample learning goals can be:
- Interpret, predict and draw charts (position, velocity, and acceleration) for common situations.
- Provide reasoning used to make sense of the charts.
|
| Balloons and Buoyancy: | This simulation will provide an insight into the properties of gases. You can explore the more advanced features which enables you to explore three physical situations: Hot Air Balloon (rigid open container with its own heat source), Rigid Sphere (rigid closed container), and Helium Balloon (elastic closed container).
Through this activity you can:
- Determine what causes the balloon, rigid sphere, and helium balloon to rise up or fall down in the box.
- Predict how changing a variable among Pressure, Volume, Temperature and number influences the motion of the balloons.
|
| Gravity Force Lab: | This virtual manipulative will allow you to visualize the gravitational force that two objects exert on each other. By changing the properties of the objects, you can see how the gravitational force changes.
Some areas to explore:
- Relate gravitational force to masses of objects and distance between objects.
- Explain Newton's third law for gravitational forces.
- Design experiments that allow you to derive an equation that related mass, distance, and gravitational force.
- Use measurements to determine the universal gravitational constant.
|
| Beer's Law Lab: | This activity will allow you to make colorful concentrated and dilute solutions and explore how much light they absorb and transmit using a virtual spectrophotometer.
You can explore concepts in many ways including:
- Describe the relationships between volume and amount of solute to solution concentration.
- Explain qualitatively the relationship between solution color and concentration.
- Predict and explain how solution concentration will change for adding or removing: water, solute, and/or solution.
- Calculate the concentration of solutions in units of molarity (mol/L).
- Design a procedure for creating a solution of a given concentration.
- Identify when a solution is saturated and predict how concentration will change for adding or removing: water, solute, and/or solution.
- Describe the relationship between the solution concentration and the intensity of light that is absorbed/transmitted.
- Describe the relationship between absorbance, molar absorptivity, path length, and concentration in Beer's Law.
- Predict how the intensity of light absorbed/transmitted will change with changes in solution type, solution concentration, container width, or light source and explain why?
|
| Ramp: Forces and Motion: | This simulation allows you to explore forces and motion as you push household objects up and down a ramp. Observe how the angle of inclination affects the parallel forces. Graphical representation of forces, energy and work makes it easier to understand the concept.
Some of the learning goals can be:
- Predict, qualitatively, how an external force will affect the speed and direction of an object's motion.
- Explain the effects with the help of a free body diagram
- Use free body diagrams to draw position, velocity, acceleration and force graphs and vice versa.
- Explain how the graphs relate to one another.
- Given a scenario or a graph, sketch all four graphs.
|
| PhET Gas Properties: | This virtual manipulative allows you to investigate various aspects of gases through virtual experimentation. From the site: Pump gas molecules to a box and see what happens as you change the volume, add or remove heat, change gravity, and more (open the box, change the molecular weight of the molecule). Measure the temperature and pressure, and discover how the properties of the gas vary in relation to each other. |
