Simple and easy, but great, Physics Demo's for the classroom

Wired has an article that includes some great, easy, simple Physics demos, with descriptions and videos, that can be used by any teacher to demonstrate some Physics concepts. While the demo's are simple, they really show the concept well and can get students more engaged in the topic.

Demo topics include inertia and momentum, light and color, center of mass and friction, acceleration, fluids, circular motion and more. Each demo has a description, the concept behind it, and how to do it.

Wired is also a great site to follow, with technology, science, gadgets, and more among the topics it covers.




Related:

Great Physics Resources for Students and Teachers
Awesome Livebinder of Physics Resources

Little Shop of Physics - great program and resources for education

Little Shop of Physics is a great resource on Physics. It's an outreach program from Colorado State University that won a Google RISE Award. The program teams is a group of science educators and science students based at Colorado State University that help students do science in creative ways.

The site has some great links, experiment and activity ideas and more, including some webinars.

It's great for any science teacher to get some great, creative ideas for teaching science.

Related:

Great Physics Resources for Students and Educators

Viscosity Explorer - simple virtual lab on viscosity

Viscosity Explorer is a simple site that allows you to explore the concept of viscosity. It consists of two containers and two steel balls. You select the liquid you want in the container, then drop the ball and observe what happens. You can also change the temperature of the liquid. Students can easily compare the viscosity of two different substances side by side.

It's a great site for science classes, and much faster, cheaper, and less messy than doing this for real. I would, however, want to at least demo the real liquids and pour them from container to container to show how the flow of the fluids is different based on the viscosity.

Related:

PhET - excellent, free, virtual labs and simulations for science

Mr. Energy visits my classes and shares some great info

Mr. Energy, aka Gerard Katz, is a former physics teacher who has over 32 years of experience in energy education. He does all kinds of school energy education programs around the country and visited my class last week.

He had contacted me because he was going to be at another school in my district and wanted to come and talk to my physics students. He presented to two of my classes and the students loved him. He's dynamic, energetic, entertaining and highly educational and informative. He even sings to them.

His presentations use live demonstrations, PowerPoint and lots of analogies and relates energy to things the students know. He has different programs, from 45 minutes up to full day programs. He did a great 45 minute presentation for my classes, explaining the concepts of energy, physics behind energy, energy sources, and the future of energy in our world. It is a really great presentation.

The presentation cost us nothing, as Mr. Energy gets his own funding from sources.

His website is The Great American Energy Debate. The site has more information on educational programs, funding, and contact information.

The National Foundation for Energy Education (NFEE) is committed to changing the current energy eduation scene and quadrupling the national level of energy knowledge.  To that end it has developed a unique and entertaining program grounded in science and hinges on student leadership.  The program is The Great American Energy Debate.   Student leaders conduct energy education activities either during the entire school year, or during a month, week, or day.

Awesome Livebinder of Physics Resources

I recently found this Livebinder of Physics Resources. It has resources, lesson materials and activities, links, and more, all organized by Physics units and topics.

It is well organized with some great resources including video clips from the Mythbusters and other fun resources, simulations, and virtual labs.

It is a great resource for teachers or students, especially for a beginning teacher looking for some help getting their lessons organized and finding resources.

Related:

Livebinders - organize materials in online binders

Great Physics Resources for Students and Teachers

Phyfun - Physics Games - learn, explore and have fun

Phyfun is a collection of physics games that are free to play and download. They are physics based, and include  platform, equilibrium, construction, demolition, motion, stacking and puzzle games and much more.

The games are fun, and can be used to demonstrate and explore different physics concepts.

Simple, and cheap, Physics Demos - great for any class

In November, the Louisiana Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers participated in a Physics day and a great presentation was on really simple and cheap physics demos.

Wired's Science Blogs posted details and photos about the demonstrations. There are 10 demonstrations and there are videos of them being done that you could show instead of doing the demo (although live demos are more impressive).

Check them out here:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/11/simple-physics-demos/

These are cheap, easy, and require no electrical outlet. These are great ways to engage students in a topic by doing the demo before the topic, or do the demo as an explanation of a topic.

The Andes Physics Tutor - intelligent homework helper for Physics

The Andes Physics Tutor

The Andes Physics Tutor is a free resource that is described as "an intelligent homework helper for Physics." Andes allows students work draw diagrams, enter equations, and define variables just as if they were doing so on paper, but Andes will tell the students if they are correct or not, and give hings when asked. Research showed students learned more this way than with traditional paper problems. 

Teachers just click "Try Andes" and select the topics and problems and then assign them to the students. The students enter their name (no login) and then complete the problem. The problem screen is nice with a variety of tools for the students to use. 

There are over 500 problems that cover most of the topics that a first year, 2 semester, Trig/Algebra based physics course would cover. Andes can be used for high school physics or 1st year college physics. 

This is a great, free resources for physics teachers and physics students. 

Currently, the Andes project lives at Arizona State University with support from the Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center, National Science Foundation award No. SBE-0836012.  Previously, Andes was developed at the University of Pittsburgh and the United States Naval Academy with support from the Office of Naval Research, grant No. N00014-96-1-0260.  

Circus Physics - lesson resources for teachers

PBS has a great site on Physics of the Circus. The site is a companion to their show Circus, which you can watch on the site.

The site has resources, lesson plans, video clips, and more on Physics related to the circus. They are organized by concept area, such as Projectile Motion, Newton's Laws, Conservation of Energy and more.

Since most students have seen a circus on TV or been to one, this is a good way to make physics engaging and relate it to something they know.

What I use with Physics classes instead of textbook

Apple made a big announcement last week about iBooks2 and digital textbooks. You can read my thoughts on it here.

Some other teachers asked me what I use with my classes, since I don't use a textbook. The textbooks we have are 20+ years old, hard to understand and not very good in general. Instead, I use a collection of resources with my students. (I do use a Physics textbook, Giancoli Physics, with my AP class).

All of my lesson plans and resources are organized in Evernote. This is where I have unit and topic lesson plans, objectives, links, activities, projects, and all of my files. It is also what I use to organize and schedule what I'm doing each day in class.

 Students may check out one of our physics textbooks if they want, but no one does. There are also a variety of textbooks in my class that students can use if they want.

1. Lecture notes - I do a lot of labs, projects, and investigations with my classes, but I start each topic off with a short lecture and discussion, example problems, along with demonstrations and applications of the topic to real life. There are also short video clips and animations which help explain concepts. I want the students to have a basic understanding before going off on their own. The lectures are usually on PowerPoint with links, videos and live demos. The PowerPoint slides are posted on the class website.

2. Class website - the class website has the lecture notes, handouts, links, and other resources for the students.

3. Class blog - the class blog is where I have links, post class updates, and post assignments and reminders.

4. Problem sets - each section has problem sets. The packets have a short summary of the concept, as well as example problems and then the practice problems students do. They start the "homework" in class so that I can assist them and then they finish them at home. These packets become a mini-textbook of sorts. They also get lots of other handouts, including math reference, physics equations, problem solving tips, and more.

5. Labs, Projects, and Activities - we do at least 2 labs for each topic and a lot of projects and activities through the year. We use software (Multimedia Science School), along with websites, webquests, hands-on labs, and research and design/build projects. Many labs are done virtually using PhET. Projects include balloon launch for projectile motion, bridge building for forces/stress, and rockets at the end of the year, among others..

6. E-textbooks - I provide links to online physics textbooks and downloadable physics textbooks so that they have them as a resource. I do not specifically use them or refer to them in class.

7. Websites - there are a couple of great websites I use with the class, including the PhysicsClassroom, PhET, and some great videos on different sites. I have also found Dolores Gende's site to be invaluable to me as a teacher and to my students. She has some great Physics resources and links on her site.

8. Discovery Education - I use Discovery Education Streaming for videos, I get images and lesson ideas from the STEM Academy and Science of Everyday Life and the Discovery Educator Network. There are over 25 Free Resources for educators to use.

These are the main resources. There are more. I get resources from different textbooks, web sites, other educators and more.

What do you use, instead of / in addition to, texbooks in your classroom?




 Here is a full listing and description of some of the sites and resources I use:



1. The Physics Classroom - this site is excellent. It has a tutorial section (online lessons with links, practice problems and simulations) along with a review section, help for solving word problems, links, multimedia resources and much more. The lessons are in easy to understand terms and each subject area is broken down into small parts. One of the best physics resources available.



2. PhET - Online or downloadable simulations and virtual labs. There are also teacher created lesson plans and resources for each lab/simulation. The quality of these resources is excellent and they really help students visualize and learn physics concepts. There are also simulations/virtual labs for Chemistry, Biology, Math and Earth Science.



3. Physics Study Guide wikibook - great content and explanations and has links to other resources. Can be used as a study guide or even as a basic textbook.


4. Motion Mountain - free downloadable Physics textbook - covers kinematics, light, electromanetism, relativity, and some other topics.


5. FHSST Physics online wikibook - Free High School Science Texts - covers all the physics concepts and has explanations and examples. Can easily be used as an e-textbook.

6. AP Physics B video lectures - excellent videos about each topic in physics. Great for review or for students who want another explanation of a concept. Geared towards AP Physics B, but can be used for any physics class.



7. Learn AP Physics - has practice problems, links, explanations, and videos. Includes some of the videos from #6 above. Geared towards AP Physics, but can be used for other classes also.





8. Online Physics Study Guide - topic explanations, simulations, practice problems, and more.

Great Physics Resources for Students and Teachers

I teach Physics and AP Physics B and have found some great resources over the years to use in class and to share with students as support materials. Here's a list of some of them.



1. The Physics Classroom - this site is excellent. It has a tutorial section (online lessons with links, practice problems and simulations) along with a review section, help for solving word problems, links, multimedia resources and much more. The lessons are in easy to understand terms and each subject area is broken down into small parts. One of the best physics resources available.



2. PhET - Online or downloadable simulations and virtual labs. There are also teacher created lesson plans and resources for each lab/simulation. The quality of these resources is excellent and they really help students visualize and learn physics concepts. There are also simulations/virtual labs for Chemistry, Biology, Math and Earth Science.



3. Physics Study Guide wikibook - great content and explanations and has links to other resources. Can be used as a study guide or even as a basic textbook.


4. Motion Mountain - free downloadable Physics textbook - covers kinematics, light, electromanetism, relativity, and some other topics.


5. FHSST Physics online wikibook - Free High School Science Texts - covers all the physics concepts and has explanations and examples. Can easily be used as an e-textbook.

6. AP Physics B video lectures - excellent videos about each topic in physics. Great for review or for students who want another explanation of a concept. Geared towards AP Physics B, but can be used for any physics class.



7. Learn AP Physics - has practice problems, links, explanations, and videos. Includes some of the videos from #6 above. Geared towards AP Physics, but can be used for other classes also.





8. Online Physics Study Guide - topic explanations, simulations, practice problems, and more.




Share your physics resources with us.

Exploriments - interactive animations for science and math

Exploriments is a site that has interactive simulations that help students learn and understand math and science. Students are active and engaged, rather than passive. They get to explore different topics and ask, and answer, questions like "what-if" and find the cause and effect of things. There are learning objectives for each Exploriment and everything works together and builds on previous knowledge.

The Exploriments are organized by Physics, Chemistry and Math and then further organized by topic. The physics ones are well done and I've used a few with my students already.

The free access does not give you full access or function, but there are some great things to use. You can upgrade to the premium access if you want to.

Knotebooks - create, collaborate, and share multimedia lessons in Physics

Knotbooks is a very cool service that allows users to create, collaborate and share customized, self-guided physics lessons. The goal of the site is to" make all of physics accessible, understandable, interactive, and free".

The site is free to use and you can either create an account or login using a variety of other accounts, such as Facebook, OpenID, Myspace, WordPress, Google, Twitter, and many others.

You can create self-guided multimedia lessons, study guides, and other resources using a huge resource of knowledge and information from their partners. You can also modify existing Knotebooks for your own use and collaborate and get help on any topic in physics from the community and resources. Text, animations, videos, and much more are all a part of Knotebooks.

While it is only for Physics, I see this as a great model to use in all topics.

Math and Physics Applets help students learn

      

I learned about some very cool applets for math and physics from Dolores Gende the other day. These two pages and the applets were created by Walter Fendt.

An applet is an interactive animation (run with Java). These applets allow students to visualize and manipulate different things to explore and learn about the topics.

There are applets for arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, forces, Newton's Laws, momentum and collisions, circular motion, waves, and much, much more.

These are great resources for teachers and students to use to better understand and explore these topics.


Applets on Mathematics

Applets on Physics 

The Road Ahead - resources on electricity generation from Discovery Education

The Road Ahead is a resource from Discovery Education and General Motors Education that explores how electricity is generated and how it will change how we live.

There is a digital magazine that interactively teaches about electricity, energy sources and new ways to power vehicles. There are also a teacher's guide, worksheets, and a classroom poster you can print.

Materials and resources are divided up into two groups: Grades 3-5 and 6-8. There is a link to GM's education site with lessons for grades 9-12.

There is also a link for getting ideas and resources for teaching about the environment.

This is a great resource for science teachers and any teacher that is teaching about electricity, the environment, and more.

The General Motors Education site has a lot of other resources for teachers for all grade levels in a variety of subjects and topics. Check it out too.

Physics Resource - great for students and teachers

APlusPhysics is a site with a plethora of resources for physics students and teachers. It includes an entire college prep physics course online, from tutorials to animations to integrated quizzes and solutions based on five+ years of standardized physics tests (question bank of close to 500 questions).  In addition, there’s a physics discussion forum, student and educator blogs, physics activities, review videos, etc.  


The courses are based on the Regents and AP Physics exams and material. There are projects, such as catapult and mousetrap cars, a physics news section, and a section for educators. 


This is a great resource for teachers to use with a class, or to send their students to for reinforcement and enrichment. 

101 Science - tons of science resources

101 Science is an incredible site with a huge amount of resources for science.

The site has more resources than I could count, organized by topics such as "electronics", "chemistry", "biology", "physics", "math" and "photography." There are also resources for earth science, astronomy, robotics, ethics, java applets, and much more. Each main category has sub categories also.

Each topic has scores of links and resources, including articles, web sites, and videos. Some videos are from MIT, TED and more.

If you teach science, are a student of science, or just like science, this is a must see site.

Here's a look at the main Physics page:

Each link on this page has more links. Here is the page on Gravity:

(Some sub categories have much more than this even!)


This site is just tremendous with over 20,000 links and resources.

"Protocol" for solving Physics Problems!

The protocol is an appraoch to problem solving for Physics that was taught to me by my mentor. It works for most word problems in general. 

10 steps

1. read the problem

2. create a meanful diagram

3. determine the variables

4. assign values to variables (what you are given and what you know, and what you are looking for)
5. Determine what you are looking for

6. choose equation (UPDATE: or physics principle that applies to situation)

7. do your algebra (to solve for the variable you are looking for)

8. substitue values into equation

9. complete the math

10 check sig figs and box or circle answer

Units are important and do count! You can use units and dimensional analysis to check your work also.

UPDATE:

Here are some more resources that help students solve problems.

Physics Study Tips

http://www.oberlin.edu/physics/dstyer/SolvingProblems.html

http://www.physics.hmc.edu/howto/problemsolving.html

PhET - free online science and math simulations

PhET is an awesome resource from the University of Colorado at Boulder. The site has interactive simulations for physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, and math that teachers and students can use.

The simulations can be run on the site or downloaded. The simulations are accurate and real and can help students learn concepts in more depth. They are easy and fun to use, and really do demonstrate the concepts well. In the physics ones I use, a big benefit is that students can quickly and easily change variables and conditions and then see what happens. This is very hard and time consuming in many hands on labs.

The simulations are also a great alternative to live labs if you don't have the resources available. Some of the simulations are better than any hands on lab because the students can truly see and understand what is happening.

You can search by topic, grade level, or just see the newest ones added. There are teacher resources for many of the simulations. Teachers who use the simulations post lesson plans and resources to the site for others to use also.

I use the Physics simulations in my classroom and they work great. This is one of those sites that every science and math teacher needs to check out.

Here's a list of some of the new simulations they have:

Roller Coaster Game as Learning Tool in Physics

In my physics classes, when we study work, energy and energy conversions, I relate it to amusement park rides such as roller coasters. The students can all relate to these things and they are great examples of work being done to give an object (the roller coaster) potential energy which then gets converted to kinetic energy and so one. We are also able to bring in forces, friction, and other topics. The students love it, it keeps their interest, and they learn!

One activity I had them complete right before the Thanksgiving break is to play an online game. Yes, I said it, a game. The game is Roller Coaster Creator. I found the site by doing a Google search and played it myself first. It is a lot of fun, but I wasn't sure how educational it was. So, I tried it out on my students. They loved it. They all tried to get the highest scores and the best designs. But, more importantly was the conversations they were having while using it. They were talking like physicists and engineers. "We have to increase this hill so there is more potential energy". "There is too much friction." "That loop will create too much g-force for the passengers." "In order to have the car jump that gap, we need a different angle and more velocity."

The conversations were great! I was so happy to see them learning and applying the concepts that they had learned while having fun!!

Now, I just have to keep this fun level going and get some more great activities for them.

Share your educational games (or games you've used in education) with us.