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Bscs: Forces and Motion Content Background Document

For Teachers K - 1st
In this document, we will try to answer a fundamental question of physical science, "Why do things start to move, slow down, speed up, stop moving or change direction?" In answering these core questions we can develop concepts that can...
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Lesson Plan
Children's Museum

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Curious Scientific Investigators: Flight Adventures

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students will make paper rockets, parachutes, and foam gliders to experience how objects move through the air. Explore topics such as thrust, weight, gravity, force, and lift through fun activities and stories and cutting-edge work done...
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eBook
NASA

Nasa: Newton's Theory of "Universal Gravitation"

For Students 9th - 10th
This site, which is provided for by NASA, discusses the thinking which led Newton to understand universal gravitation.
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eBook
NASA

Nasa: Kepler and His Laws

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from NASA provides biographical details about the lives of Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler. Discusses Kepler's successes at developing laws of planeatry motion. States the three laws and discusses each one individually....
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Zona Land: Mechanics and Vectors

For Students 9th - 10th
An exceptional tutorial on the topic of vectors that offers many helpful graphics, some of which are interactive.
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Online Course
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Open Course Ware: Courses: Physics: Introduction to Special Relativity

For Teachers 9th - 10th
College-level electrical physics course highlighting Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity. Course introduces the physics of Lorentz contraction, time dilation, the "twin paradox", and E=mc2. Course features suggested readings,...
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Handout
Cosmos 4 kids

Cosmos4 Kids: Galaxy Cluster Basics

For Students 3rd - 8th
Understand what galaxy clusters are on this site which contains both information and a video.
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Activity
Center of Science and Industry

Cosi Columbus: Balloon Rockets [Pdf]

For Students 3rd - 8th
Science experiment that demonstrates Newton's Third Law by launching rockets made out of balloons. Includes full list of materials, procedures, and scientific explanation of what causes balloons to shoot forward and how you can make them...
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Unit Plan
E-learning for Kids

E Learning for Kids: Science: Indian Ocean: What Are Mass Amd Weight?

For Students 4th - 6th
Join Maria and Boris the Astronaut in their journey. Learn about mass, weight, and gravity in space.
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Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Gravity of the Situation

For Students 9th - 10th
Gravity of the Situation asks students to describe what role gravity plays on the movement of the three groups of kids in the video.
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Activity
University of California

Ucla K 6 Physics/astronomy: Mass, Weight, and Density

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This website provides explanations of mass, weight, and density with directions for building simple scales and balances. Provided as encouragement to teach these concepts to young children, it offers a good review for older students.
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Handout
Wolfram Research

Wolfram Science World: Henry Cavendish (1731 1810)

For Students 9th - 10th
Short biography of the shy chemist, Henry Cavendish. Some interesting personal information and background. Mentions all of his major work.
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Activity
Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments: Acceleration Due to Gravity

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will collect data of different massed cars and compare the acceleration down an incline.
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Lesson Plan
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)

Smile: Measuring the Gravitational Constant, G

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A demonstration/lab idea for determining the numerical value of the universal gravitation constant using a torsion balance.
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Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Using Egg Drop Activity to Promote Critical Thinking and Analysis Skills

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this multi-lesson hands-on inquiry activity, students will develop their critical thinking skills by designing and constructing an apparatus that will permit an egg to survive a nine foot fall. Given limited materials, they will...
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Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigating Forces: Pop Bottle Rockets

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In this lab, students will work on scientific inquiry skills: observation, developing questions, conducting an experiment, and collecting data. They will investigate forces using pop bottle rockets that they have designed.
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Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Exploring Magnetism: Investigating the Forces of Magnets

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students describe and create an experiment to prove that like poles of magnets repel each other while opposite poles attract. Using the experiment, they use the data to support the claim that the repelling force is stronger than the...
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Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Measuring Reaction Time

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students investigate each other's reaction time by measuring how far a ruler falls before they can catch it. They will interpret the data and turn in a lab report describing the procedure they used and the results they discovered.
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Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Marble Stop

For Teachers K - 1st
In this two-part lesson plan, young scholars will discover that no matter what the shape of the track, the marble will rise to the same vertical height. They will begin to understand the concepts of gravity, motion, and force.
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Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigating Gravity: Predicting Time to Hit the Ground

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners will drop and shoot horizontally "Nerf" balls from a variety of known heights then record the amount of time it takes for the ball to hit the ground for each trial. They will plot height vs. time data and create a trend line for...
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Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigating Air Resistance

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
In this lab, students will investigate what factors affect air resistance while introducing gravity and other forces.
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Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Newton's Second: Having a Ball With Motion

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students will create a gravity ball launcher to demonstrate their understanding of mass, force, momentum, and motion. The students will use critical thinking, measurement, and observation and analysis of data to make changes and improve...
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Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Egg Drop

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this physics lab, students build a container to safely deliver two eggs from the top of the school. Students calculate average velocity, acceleration, momentum, and the amount of force as it hits the ground. If their egg breaks, they...
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Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Projectile and Satellite Orbits

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This activity introduces gravity and Kepler's Laws and helps to develop an understanding of gravitational force, satellite orbits, and their dependence on the initial velocity.