American Physical Society

Learners build a pendulum from a yo-yo, and then design their own experiment to determine what affects the pendulum's period of swing.

Learners drop two different masses of play dough and observe how long it takes them to hit the ground.

In this physics activity, learners use square blocks to explore how towers fall. Learners attach a piece of string to the side of a block and then construct a tall tower on top of this base block.

Learners experiment with water gel crystals, or sodium polyacrylate crystals, which absorb hundreds of times their weight in water. When in pure water, the water gel crystals cannot be seen.

Learners use compasses to detect the magnetic field created by current moving through a wire. This is one of four activities learners can complete related to PhysicsQuest 2008.

Learners use the current flowing in a wire to create a magnetic field that turns a magnet. Learners can use this property of electromagnetism to build a magnet-powered pinwheel.

Learners drop a magnet through a coil of wire to create electric current in a circuit. LEDs in the circuit allow learners to detect the direction of current flow.

Learners examine the properties of light by experimenting with an LED-flashlight and polarizing filters. When two polarizers are used, they block all light when they are placed at right angles.

On an airplane trip, learners have an opportunity to investigate the properties of air pressure at different altitudes.

In the kitchen, learners can perform their own density investigation.