This is a lesson about magnetism and solar flares. Learners will evaluate real solar data and images in order to calculate the energy and magnetic strength of a solar flare moving away from the Sun as a coronal mass ejection. This is Activity 3 in the Exploring Magnetism in Solar Flares teachers guide.
This is a calculus-based book meant for the first semester of the type of freshman survey course taken by engineering and physical science majors. A treatment of relativity is interspersed with the Newtonian mechanics, in optional sections. The book is designed so that it can be used as a drop-in replacement for the corresponding part of Simple Nature, for instructors who prefer a traditional order of topics. Simple Nature does energy before force, while Mechanics does force before energy. Simple Nature has its treatment of relativity all in a single chapter, rather than in parallel with the development of Newtonian mechanics.
After conducting the associated activity, students are introduced to the material behavior of elastic solids. Engineering stress and strain are defined and their importance in designing devices and systems is explained. How engineers measure, calculate and interpret properties of elastic materials is addressed. Students calculate stress, strain and modulus of elasticity, and learn about the typical engineering stress-strain diagram (graph) of an elastic material.
Today we’ll explore more about two of the three main types of materials that we use as engineers: metals and ceramics. We’ll discuss properties of metals, alloys, ceramics, clay, cement, and glass-ceramic materials. We’ll also look at the applications of our materials with microelectromechanical systems and accelerometers.
Students obtain a basic understanding of microfluidic devices, how they are developed and their uses in the medical field. After conducting the associated activity, they watch a video clip and learn about flow rate and how this relates to the speed at which medicine takes effect in the body. What they learn contributes to their ongoing objective to answer the challenge question presented in lesson 1 of this unit. They conclude by solving flow rate problems provided on a worksheet.
Just how small are nanomaterials? And what can we do with stuff that small? Today we’ll discuss some special properties of nanomaterials, how some can change at different sizes, and the difference between engineered nanomaterials and ones that occur naturally. We’ll also talk about some of the future research that’s needed on the use of nanomaterials.
This 28-minute film was created to explain how our current understanding of the Milky Way was reached using many different wavelength of the electromagnetic spectrum. Please note, the link is to a direct download of the video; this is a large file - 336 MB.
Great, short, engaging videos to explain all things physics to learners of all ages. Everything from Covid-19 to gravity to parallel universes!
Using the mission to land a human on the Martian surface as context, students will use knowledge about energy and molecular motion to build and test a simplified heat shield.
This lesson plan introduces the properties of mixtures and solutions. A class demonstration gives the students the opportunity to compare and contrast the physical characteristics of a few simple mixtures and solutions. Students discuss the separation of mixtures and solutions back into their original components as well as different engineering applications of mixtures and solutions.
In this activity, students use rulers to measure distances between hypothetical galaxies and then use these distances to calculate the velocities of the galaxies. This activity is part of the "Cosmic Questions" educator's guide that was developed to support the Cosmic Questions exhibit. This activity can be in conjunction with, or independently of, the exhibit.
In this activity students are challenged to create a model of the universe in a single class period. This activity is designed to elicit student ideas and preconceptions about the contents and organization of the cosmos. Most students will be somewhat familiar with solar system objects, but may be confused about the relationship of stars to planets, and about their relative distances. This activity is part of the "Cosmic Questions Educator's Guide" developed to support the Cosmic Questions exhibit. The activites in the guide can be used in conjunction with or independently of the exhibit.
Une série de simulations provenant de l’Université de Colorado à Boulder pour les 9e – 12e au sujet des sciences.
«Comment les scientifiques ont-ils découvert la structure des atomes sans les observer ? Testez différents modèles en envoyant de la lumière sur l'atome. Vérifiez comment la prédiction du modèle correspond aux résultats expérimentaux.»
Une série de simulations provenant de l’Université de Colorado à Boulder pour les 9e – 12e au sujet des sciences.
«Vous demandez-vous parfois comment un gaz à effet de serre affecte le climat, ou pourquoi la couche d'ozone est importante ? Utilisez la simulation pour explorer comment la lumière interagit avec les molécules dans notre atmosphère.»
In this activity, students compute the strengths of the gravitational forces exerted on the Moon by the Sun and by the Earth, and demonstrate the actual shape of the Moon's orbit around the Sun. The lesson begins with students' assumptions about the motions of the Moon about the Earth and the Earth about the Sun, and then test their understanding using an experimental apparatus made from a cardboard or plywood disk and rope. This resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.
This is an activity about gravity. Learners will design their own experiments to explore the fundamental force of gravity and then extend their thinking to how gravity acts to keep objects like moons and ring particles in orbit. They use the contexts of the solar system and the Saturn system to explore the nature of orbits. The lesson enables students to correct common misconceptions about gravity and orbits and to learn how orbital speed decreases as the distance from the object being orbited increases. This is lesson 3 of 6 in the Saturn Educators Guide.
Students learn why and how motion occurs and what governs changes in motion, as described by Newton's three laws of motion. They gain hands-on experience with the concepts of forces, changes in motion, and action and reaction. In an associated literacy activity, students design a behavioral survey and learn basic protocol for primary research, survey design and report writing.
The focus of this unit is to introduce the concepts of force and motion. Specifically this unit will address the forces of push, pull, gravity, and work. It also introduces students to the concepts of friction and slope. The unit begins with an introduction to the scientific method and addresses the differences between scientists and engineers. Students will be both scientists and engineers while completing this unit.
Student engineers learn to understand force and motion and how it is effected by slope, design and weight carried.
Mechanical energy is the most easily understood form of energy for students. When there is mechanical energy involved, something moves. Mechanical energy is a very important concept to understand. Engineers need to know what happens when something heavy falls from a long distance changing its potential energy into kinetic energy. Automotive engineers need to know what happens when cars crash into each other, and why they can do so much damage, even at low speeds! Our knowledge of mechanical energy is used to help design things like bridges, engines, cars, tools, parachutes, and even buildings! In this lesson, students will learn how the conservation of energy applies to impact situations such as a car crash or a falling object.