This animated illustration shows how a wind turbine can generate electricity for homes and communities.

A set of four station activities involving static electricity that can easily be done in the classroom.

This interactive tutorial begins with an understanding of the structure of matter. Understanding charge as a fundamental quantity demands that we have an understanding of the structure of an atom. Learn the atomic structure of an atom an...

Learn the basics of electrical circuits and diagrams.

The nature of insulators is described at the atomic level. Band gap theory is used to explain what distinguishes insulators from conductors.

This site is an introduction plus a series of three lesson plans that explore Franklin's portraits plus aspects of his work in science and writing.

James Prescott Joule experimented with engines, electricity and heat throughout his life. Joule's findings resulted in his development of the mechanical theory of heat and Joule's law, which quantitatively describes the rate at which...

Although he was not the first person to observe a connection between electricity and magnetism, Andre-Marie Ampere was the first scientist to attempt to theoretically explain and mathematically describe the phenomenon. His contributions...

Peter Debye carried out pioneering studies of molecular dipole moments, formulated theories of magnetic cooling and of electrolytic dissociation, and developed an X-ray diffraction technique for use with powdered, rather than...

Humphry Davy was a pioneer in the field of electrochemistry who used electrolysis to isolate many elements from the compounds in which they occur naturally. Electrolysis is the process by which an electrolyte is altered or decomposed via...

Joseph Henry was an American scientist who pioneered the construction of strong, practical electromagnets and built one of the first electromagnetic motors. During his experiments with electromagnetism, Henry discovered the property of...

At the turn of the 19th century, scientists were beginning to gain a rudimentary understanding of electricity and magnetism, but they knew almost nothing about the relationship between the two. Baltic German physicist Heinrich Lenz took...

Georg Simon Ohm had humble roots and struggled financially throughout most of his life, but the German physicist is well known today for his formulation of a law, termed Ohm's law, describing the mathematical relationship between...

Explore how a capacitor works! Change the size of the plates and add a dielectric to see how it affects capacitance. Change the voltage and see charges built up on the plates. Shows the electric field in the capacitor. Measure voltage...

A set of four online courses in Physics for elementary and middle school teachers. Each course targets a different topic area - light, electricity & magnetism, temperature & heat, and force, motion, & energy.

Working as if they are engineers who work for (the hypothetical) Build-a-Toy Workshop company, students apply their imaginations and the engineering design process to design and build prototype toys with moving parts. They set up...

Perform a virtual heart transplant in nineteen easy steps with this interactive feature from the NOVA: "Electric Heart" Web site. This interactive feature provides an in depth and realistic look at this procedure.

This new version of the CCK adds capacitors, inductors and AC voltage sources to your toolbox! Now you can graph the current and voltage as a function of time. Java required.

An electronics kit in your computer! Build circuits with resistors, light bulbs, batteries, and switches. Take measurements with the realistic ammeter and voltmeter. View the circuit as a schematic diagram, or switch to a life-like view....

A hands-on instructional activity for helping students understand simple circuits, series circuits, and parallel circuits, and the differences between the three.

The United States Geological Survey offers a complete look at water science in glossary form. Take advantage of the topic guides at the top of the site. You'll find great maps, clipart and activities centers. Click Home to access the...

Can you find the problem and fix the circuit in time for the Halloween contest?

Describes research into the freezing point of water and how scientists have frozen it at different temperatures, depending on the electric charge.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] The nervous system is made up of nerves. A nerve is a bundle of nerve cells. A nerve cell that carries messages is called a neuron. The messages carried by neurons...