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Rubber Band newton Scale
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In this activity, learners make a simple spring-like scale using a rubber band instead of a spring, and calibrate the scale in newtons (N).

Hanging Around
Learners investigate weight by building a spring scale. They observe and record how it responds to objects with different masses.

Heavy or Light
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In this activity, learners explore a scale by comparing objects, which look similar but have different weights. Learners predict and then measure the weights of various objects using a scale.

Garden Poles
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In this activity, learners build large-scale structures and cantilevers in a series of "building out" challenges with garden poles and tape.

Skewers and Garden Poles
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In this activity, learners build scaled-down structures and cantilevers in a series of "building out" challenges with bamboo skewers and tape.
Sea State: Forecast Conditions at Sea
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In this oceanography and data collection activity, learners cast real time sea state conditions using buoys from NOAA's National Data Buoy Center.

Does Size Make a Difference?
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In this activity on page 15 of the PDF, discover how materials and physical forces behave differently at the nanoscale.

Exploring Forces: Gravity
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In this nanoscience activity, learners discover that it's easy to pour water out of a regular-sized cup, but not out of a miniature cup.

Heavyweight Champion: Jupiter
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In this activity, learners confront their perceptions of gravity in the solar system.

Dunking the Planets
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In this demonstration, learners compare the relative sizes and masses of scale models of the planets as represented by fruits and other foods.

Sliding and Stuttering
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Learners use a spring scale to drag an object such as a ceramic coffee cup along a table top or the floor.

Model Wind Tunnel
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In this activity, learners build a miniature wind tunnel to measure force. Learners construct the model out of Lexan plastic, a fan, and a precise digital scale.

Gravity Fail
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In this activity, learners try pouring water out of a regular cup and a miniature cup. It’s harder than it sounds! Learners discover that different forces dominate at different size scales.

Skateboard Disaster
Learners examine collisions between two skateboards carrying different masses. They learn about conservation of momentum in collisions.

Super Spinners
Learners build at least two different spinners (tops) to investigate how mass distribution, size, and shape affect the length of time the spinner spins.

Swing in Time
Learners build and investigate pendulums of different lengths. They discover that the longer the string of the pendulum, the longer the time it takes to swing.

How Do Things Fall?
Learners engage in close observation of falling objects. They determine it is the amount of air resistance, not the weight of an object, which determines how quickly an object falls.

Good News: We're on the Rise!
Learners build a simple aneroid barometer to learn about changes in barometric pressure and weather forecasting. They observe their barometer and record data over a period of days.