Twisting and turning through the sky, roller coasters are popular attractions at amusement parks around the world, but how exactly do they work? Explore the physics behind these thrilling rides with an engineering design activity....

Here are nine motion problems for physics fanatics to solve. Topics are pretty typical: rifles firing bullets, freight train cars colliding, astronauts gliding through space, balls being thrown. Pupils compute recoil speed, combined...

Here is a fabulous set of teacher's notes that will make your next hands-on gravity and force lab fun and interesting. These notes provide you with three activities that allow children to make and test hypothesis regarding force,...

An interesting worksheet on force and inertia is here for your young scientists. The worksheet is meant to be used as a vehicle for oral interviews. There are three questions about force and seven questions regarding intertia. Very good!

Physics stars will enjoy learning about the conservation of energy as you demonstrate gyroscope precession. The lecture is broken into five subtopics: cross product, rotating vectors, angular momentum, rotating rigid bodies, and torque...

In this laws of motion worksheet, students review Newton's 3 laws of motion and compare force and net force. 11 matching, 18 fill in the blank, 6 word problems.

In this momentum worksheet, students will complete two fill in the blank statements on inertia and momentum. Then students will compare the momentum of a bowling ball and baseball with differing masses and velocities in 3 short answer...

Ninth graders use a spring scale to drag an object such as a ceramic coffee cup along a table top or the floor. The spring scale allows them to measure the frictional force that exists between the moving cup and the surface it slides on....

Young scholars watch a demonstration that allows the teacher to show Galileo's inertia experiment and how and why the hills on roller coasters are designed as they are. The roller coaster simulator can be mounted on a magnetic...

Young scholars participate in a qualitative discussion of the distinction between weight and mass, followed by a description of astronaut mass measurements in a zero-g environment.

Students perform three activities that each demonstrate one of Newton's Laws of Motion. They use a ramp and toy car to demonstrate inertia, calculate acceleration due to gravity, then use a medicine ball and rolling chair to demonstrate...

The lesson has sufficient background information for the teacher to implement the lesson. Students are asked to summarize the three laws of motion. They also conduct classroom activities to role play the Laws of Newton.

Students practice calculating the moment of inertia when discussing a skater and the position in which it is best to spin. After class discussion, students practice calculating inertia on their own.