Physics Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 13)

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

MrBeast, the world's most famous YouTuber, has a series of challenge videos where he asks a contestant to protect some valuable prize - like a pile of money or an expensive car - from a series of attacks like explosions, giant fireballs launched from catapults, or even getting hit by a train! Contestants often have only 24 hours to build something to protect their prize, which presents a very interesting engineering challenge. Given limited time and access to materials, how can you best protect… Read more

Particles in the Mist: See Radioactive Particles Decay with Your Own Cloud Chamber!

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Are you fascinated by radioactivity and the emission of particles caused by the disintegration of an atom? This science project enables you to observe safely a spectacular display of radioactive decay. Following the instructions in the Procedure, you will be able to isolate a safe radioactive source and build a cloud chamber to watch the radioactive decay. Then you will use your cloud chamber to discover if a plastic lid can shield you from this type of radioactive decay particles. Read more

Serve Illuminated Water

STEM Activity

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Light is fascinating! It can look like a wave or a particle; it can be red, blue or any color of the rainbow; you can even mix all the colors together to get white! It travels in straight lines and still appears to bend around objects. It can travel through air, but it does not need the air. Unlike sound, light can travel from distant stars through a vacuum and reach us years later, or it can be sent through fiber optic cables and go around the world in less than a second! Does that sound… Read more

Skydive Into Forces

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd

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Forces, which we might instinctively describe as pushes and pulls, are acting on us at all times, but we cannot always see them. This hands-on lesson offers a fun opportunity to explore "invisible" forces like gravity and air resistance. Students will build parachutes and investigate how they allow skydivers to safely land. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

Sound and Vibrations 2: Make Sprinkles Dance

Lesson Plan Grade: 1st

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Can you make something move by using only sound? Your students will find out in this lesson plan as they explore the connection between sound and vibrations. This is the second in a pair of lessons about sound. See Sound and Vibrations 1: Rubber Band Guitar for the first lesson. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

1-PS4-1. Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.

Space Radiation Protection

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

The radiation sources recommended in this experiment are low-dose radioactive sources and do not require a license to purchase; they are safe to work with as long as these common-sense safety tips are followed: Wear disposable gloves when handling any radioactive source. Never rub your eyes or mouth while you are handling the radioactive source. NEVER swallow any radioactive source and use protective glasses when bringing a source within a few inches of… Read more

Supercooling Water and Snap Freezing

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Can water remain liquid below its normal freezing point? If it does, that water is supercool(-ed). This project shows you a method for supercooling water. You can test water from different sources to see whether or not it can be supercooled. Read more

Two-Stage Balloon Rocket

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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Learn about real space flight and Newton's laws of motion with this fun lesson! This new twist on a classic project lets your students build a multi-stage balloon rocket that they can launch across the classroom. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-PS2-2. Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object's motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.
MS-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.

Use a Catapult to Storm Castle Walls

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You may have seen movies or read books where armies in medieval times catapulted large rocks or other objects at castles (or each other!). These armies used different types of catapults to accomplish different goals — for example, launching things over or into castle walls to knock them down. In this experiment, you will use a ping-pong ball catapult to lay siege to a "castle" and find the right settings to hit your targets. Read more

2022 Paper Ball Run Challenge for Grades 3-5

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-5th

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Add a twist to a classic activity with this fun lesson plan. Your students will design and build a ball run for a ping pong ball using nothing but paper and tape. Their goal is to make the slowest ball run possible. How long can they make it take for the ball to go through their ball run? The 2022 competition is over, but you can see what students built and learn about the winners on the 2022 Engineering Challenge summary page. Teachers, note that middle school and high school … Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Physics Projects, Lessons, Activities (289 results)

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