Physics Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 25)

Give It a Lift with a Lever

STEM Activity

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Have you ever wondered how ancient people could lift very heavy objects, such as large stones, to build pyramids? A lever is a simple machine that can help people do just this. It can also help make other kinds of physical work easier by giving the user a mechanical advantage. Common examples of levers you might see around you are seesaws, scissors, wheelbarrows and even the your own jaw. Although all of these levers have the same functional parts, they vary in where the different components… Read more

Go Suck an Egg!

STEM Activity

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Have you ever been helping in the kitchen and found yourself with a recipe that calls for egg whites? Do you use the egg shell to separate the egg yolk from the egg white? Instead of using the shell to separate them, you can use science! In this activity, you will use simple tools to explore how physics can help you do everyday tasks – such as separate egg yolks from egg whites. Read more

HAMing It Up with the Astronauts

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever wished you could talk to an astronaut on board the International Space Station? You're probably thinking "yeah, like NASA would ever let you do that!" Actually, they will! The International Space Station (ISS) is equipped with its own HAM radio station. The ISS HAM radio station allows astronauts, cosmonauts, and space mission specialists from different nations who are on board the space station to talk to people back home on Earth. Anyone with an amateur radio license is… Read more

Hanging Around with Sound: Make Your Own Secret Bell!

STEM Activity

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Have you ever tried making "walkie-talkies" using a long piece of string and two tin cans? If you have, you know that they work surprisingly well—at longer distances you can hear people better through the cans and string than you can through the air! In this activity we're going to use the same concepts to build a personal bell, one that makes sounds that only you can hear! Read more

How Does Your Eardrum Work?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Eardrums are membranes inside your ears that vibrate when sound waves hit them. These vibrations are converted into electrical signals and sent to your brain, which allows you to hear sound. The frequency response of your eardrum, or the range of frequencies that will cause it to vibrate, determines your hearing range. Typical human hearing ranges from about 20 Hz up to 20,000 Hz, although the ability to hear high frequencies typically degrades as you get older. Some other animals can… Read more

How Empty Is an Empty Bottle?

STEM Activity

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Did you know that airplanes and sound have something in common? Can you guess what it might be? Air pressure! It is fascinating how air—something that is so fluid and invisible—can power an amazing number of fascinating phenomena. In this activity you will use your own breath to blow a small paper ball into an empty bottle. It sounds simple, but is it? Try it out and see for yourself! Read more

How High Can a Super Ball Bounce?

Lesson Plan Grade: Kindergarten-5th

Students determine the coefficient of restitution (or the elasticity) for super balls. Working in pairs, they drop balls from a meter height and determine how high they bounce. They measure, record and repeat the process to gather data to calculate average bounce heights and coefficients of elasticity. Then they extrapolate to determine the height the ball would bounce if dropped from much higher heights.Engineering Connection Mechanical engineers select materials that meet… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-PS2-2. Make observations and/or measurements of an object's motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

Interfering Patterns

STEM Activity

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Ever wonder why most people love patterns? We see patterns in art and music, and also in our daily lives. Patterns can provide a sense of order and can make a hectic-looking world a little more manageable. They are the basis of many assumptions and predictions. We assume we will have lunch at noon, as that is what we always do; we predict thunderclouds will bring rain, as these clouds always bring rain; and you might expect your parents to get mad when you disobey, as that is what has followed… Read more

Investigate the 'Death' of an Orange: How is Rate of Heat Loss Based on the Surrounding Temperature?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Imagine that you are a detective investigating a murder. You have a body that was found in a swimming pool, and someone reported hearing an argument near the pool at 10:00 PM the night before. Your first question might be "Was this person killed around 10:00 PM last night, or at some other time?" One way to answer this question is to measure the internal temperature of the body. The longer ago the killing occurred, the colder the body. But can you assign a specific time of death to a specific… Read more

Is your Physics Textbook Lying? Linear & Nonlinear Springs

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Spoiler alert: Your physics textbook might contain an inaccurate equation. Are you shocked? Let us explain — many questions in your physics textbooks are simplifications of how things behave in the real world. For example, in physics textbooks, springs are usually modeled with the equation Force = stiffness x displacement: Equation 1: [Please enable JavaScript to view equation] … Read more

Physics Projects, Lessons, Activities (289 results)

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