Curated OER
Building the Car (Mechanics and Motion)
Learners design and begin building a car out of K'NEX parts after a class discussion on the components of the car, the constraints and goals of the design, the type of testing that will be performed, and a demonstration of a basic...
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That Mu You Do
Students discussion frictional force, kinetic friction, and static friction and the role each plays in acceleration and velocity in relationship to a car and the road on which it is traveling. Students complete lesson answering review...
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Friction and Machines
Fifth graders experimentally determine the relationship of friction to the functioning of machines. They demonstrate that rollers can decrease frictional force and increase speed and research to discover other ways that friction can be...
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Away You Go
Students build Lego cars which have two different types of tire surfaces. They roll them down ramps that have both rough and smooth surfaces to determine how friction affects the car as it rolls.
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Peak Performance
Students design and build a car that is capable of traveling across the floor quickly, and also up a steep ramp.
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Egyptians as Engineers
Student design and build Lego vehicles that drag given amount of weight up an incline. They show how this demonstrates Egyptian methods of pyramid construction.
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Sliding and Stuttering
Students measure frictional force existing between a moving cup and the surface it slides on. They conduct the experiment and answer discussion questions.
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Does Contact Area Matter?
Students work together to design and implement an experiment on friction. They test to see if contact area affects the amount of friction. They discover how engineers use friction to make certain products better.
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Watch It Slide!
Students work together to examine inclined planes. They create a plan to raise rocks to build pyramids. They discover the changes that occur when the angle is increased or decreased.
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SLIME!
Students learn the effects of friction and examine how certain lubricants can only be used with certain materials.
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RESISTANCE IS FUTILE
Students explore friction and use objects such as coins and marbles to study the concept.
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Slime!
Students participate in a science experiment in which they try and move gelatin cubes with and without a lubricant. They examine the concept of friction and resistance to motion.
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Winds Over Land vs. Ocean
Students explore friction and the way it impacts wind over the ocean compared to over land.