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Physics Tug of War
Learners set up books with rubber bands stretched between the books. When two identical books are stretched apart and released, they move back toward each other an equal distance.
Watch It Fly
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Learners observe projectile motion by launching wooden balls off of a table top. They set up a rubber-band launcher so that each ball experiences a consistent amount of force.
How Far?
To learn how friction affects motion, learners build a measurement tool from a rubber band and other simple materials.
Crank It Up
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In this engineering activity, learners explore simple machines and then build cardboard automata using cams.
Playing with Parachutes
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In this activity, learners explore how parachutes are used to slow down moving objects. Learners work in teams of "engineers" to design and build their own parachutes out of everyday items.
Parabola Basketball
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In this activity, learners build mini-basketball courts and explore the laws of physics. Learners discover that everything you throw or shoot on earth travels in a parabola.
Magnetic Marble Run
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Learners explore magnetism and motion as they build a simple marble run. Learners test different arrangements of plastic and cardboard tubes, bottles, and cups on a magnetic board.
My Solar System
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In this online activity, learners build their own system of heavenly bodies and watch the gravitational ballet.
Newton Car
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In this activity, learners work in teams to investigate the relationship between mass, acceleration, and force as described in Newton's second law of motion.
Visualizing How the Vestibular System Works
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In this activity (page 59 of the PDF), learners spin and observe false eyelashes in jars of water (prepared at least 1 day ahead of time) to investigate the effects of different types of motion on the
Marble Drop Game
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Build your own version of a favorite carnival game, in which a marble races down a maze consisting of rows of nails.
Egg Bungee
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Learners attach an egg to a rubber-band bungee cord and drop the egg.
Seas in Motion
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In this outdoor, beach activity, learners use tennis balls, water balloons and other simple devices to investigate the movement of waves and currents off a sandy beach.
Catapult
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In this activity, learners build mini catapults using paint paddles and a spoon. Use this activity to introduce learners to forces and projectile motion.
FlyBy Math: Distance-Rate-Time Problems in Air Traffic Control
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In this small-group activity, learners assume the roles of pilots, air traffic controllers, and NASA scientists to solve five Air Traffic Control (ATC) problems.
Cylindrical Wing
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In this design and physics challenge, learners construct a cylindrical wing, fly it, make modifications, and determine how the changes affect flight patterns.
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.
Building a 3-D Space Maze: Escher Staircase
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In this activity (page 95 of the PDF), learners create Escher Staircase models similar to those that were used by Neurolab's Spatial Orientation Team to investigate the processing of information about
Finger Basketball
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In this activity, learners build mini-basketball courts using cardboard and measuring spoons. Use this activity to introduce learners to catapults, forces, and levers.