Exploring Physics

The Introduction to Electricity unit covers the concepts of closed circuits and electrical contact points, and uses bulbs, switches, batteries, buzzers, motors, LEDs and photoresistors to demonstrate how electrical circuits power real-life objects. Learn about battery voltage, electrodes, electrolytes, and how batteries work. Several activities in this eUnit can be done with our unique, custom-made Puzzle Board kit. The Battery Experiment Kit can be used to make batteries out of everyday materials.

The Electrical Circuits unit covers concepts of voltage, current, simple and mixed series and parallel circuits, and electrical resistance. Learn how to make your own circuits, measure power and energy in an electrical circuit, and much more with the Electrical Circuits Unit, which can be done with the Simple Circuits Kit.

The Uniform Motion unit covers concepts of constant-speed motion. Using bubble tubes and battery cars, learn how to measure speed, represent uniform motion with motion diagrams, position-time and velocity-time graphs. Later in the unit, learn to mathematically calculate the factors involved in uniform motion, including displacement, velocity, and average speed.

The Accelerated Motion unit covers concepts of changing velocity and constant acceleration. Using toy cars, ramps, spark timers and motion detectors learn about accelerated motion using motion diagrams and position-time, velocity-time and acceleration-time graphs. Later in the unit, learn to mathematically calculate the factors involved in accelerated motion using motion equations.

The Forces and Newton’s Laws unit addresses the types and characteristics of forces and the connection between forces and motion. Use a variety of everyday materials, spring scales, force probes, tracks and motion detectors, to learn about the factors that affect a few common forces such as gravity and the elastic force. Later in the unit, learn how to represent forces through force diagrams, verbal descriptions, graphs, pictures and mathematical models. Finally, learn about Newton’s three laws through hands-on classic experiments.

The Applications of Newton’s Laws – Free Fall and Projectile Motion unit covers the concepts that relate force and motion in free fall and in projectile motion. Using balls, spark timers, motion detectors and photogates, learn about vertical motion under gravity and about the two-dimensional trajectories of projectiles. Later in the unit, learn to describe the motion using verbal descriptions, motion diagrams, force diagrams and graphs. Then learn to mathematically calculate displacement, velocity and acceleration of these falling bodies.

The Momentum unit addresses what happens in a collision between two or more objects. Use a variety of everyday materials to learn about the factors that affect collisions. Later in the unit, learn how to calculate momentum and impulse and how to relate change in momentum to forces in collisions.

The Energy unit addresses energy transfer, transformation and storage. Using everyday materials, toys, spring scales, ramps and tracks to learn about work, gravitational potential energy, elastic potential energy, kinetic energy and power. Learn to analyze systems and energy changes using pie charts and bar graphs. Later in the unit learn to mathematically describe several kinds of energy.

The Waves unit addresses the characteristics of waves, the factors that affect the reflection, refraction, transmission and superposition of waves. Using springs, snakeys, slinkies, microphones and ray boxes, learn about mechanical waves, sound waves and light.