Learn how friction causes a material to heat up and melt. Rub two objects together and they heat up. When one reaches the melting temperature, particles break free as the material melts away. Arabic Language.
Students use LEGO® MINDSTORMS® robotics to help conceptualize and understand the force of friction. Specifically, they observe how different surfaces in contact result in different frictional forces. A LEGO robot is constructed to pull a two-wheeled trailer made of LEGO parts. The robot is programmed to pull the trailer 10 feet and trial runs are conducted on smooth and textured surfaces. The speed and motor power of the robot is kept constant in all trials so students observe the effect of friction between various combinations of surfaces and trailer wheels. To apply what they learn, students act as engineers and create the most effective car by designing the most optimal tires for given surface conditions.
Students will use the available bathymetric datasets to test the utility of a flexural rigidity model of oceanic crust.
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The lesson will first explore the concept of current in electrical circuits. Current will be defined as the flow of electrons. Photovoltaic (PV) cell properties will then be introduced. Generally constructed of silicon, photovoltaic cells contain a large number of electrons BUT they can be thought of as "frozen" in their natural state. A source of energy is required to "free" these electrons if we wish to create current. Light from the sun provides this energy. This will lead to the principle of "Conservation of Energy." Finally, with a basic understanding of the circuits through Ohm's law, students will see how the energy from the sun can be used to power everyday items, including vehicles. This lesson utilizes the engineering design activity of building a solar car to help students learn these concepts.
In this activity, students investigate the simulated use of solid rocket fuel by using an antacid tablet. Students observe the effect that surface area and temperature has on chemical reactions. Also, students compare the reaction time using two different reactants: water and vinegar. Finally, students report their results using a bar graph.
Students are introduced to the multidisciplinary field of material science. Through a class demo and PowerPoint® presentation, they learn the basic classes of materials (metals, ceramics, polymers, composites) and how they differ from one another, considering concepts such as stress, strain, ductile, brittle, deformation and fracture. Practical examples help students understand how the materials are applied, and further information about specific research illustrates how materials and material science are useful in space exploration. A worksheet and quiz are provided.
While we know air exists around us all the time, we usually do not notice the air pressure. During this activity, students use Bernoulli's principle to manipulate air pressure so its influence can be seen on the objects around us.
Part 1 of the X-ray Spectroscopy Unit from NASAs Imagine the Universe! lesson plans includes a series of three lessons on the formation of elements in stars. During this three lesson series, students learn about the life cycle of stars and model the formation of elements in stars. The lessons are a demonstration of type so fusion reactions and modeling not just the changes to matter during the processes but also the energy involved in these reactions.
Fósiles Realmente Antiguos Equipo STEM. El Centro de Extensión y Educación en Ciencias Naturales colabora con la facultad de CSU, los Parques Nacionales y los programas de ciencia ciudadana para traducir su investigación científica actual en experiencias STEM únicas para los estudiantes en forma de kits educativos que se pueden prestar. Cada kit contiene casi todos los materiales necesarios (menos cosas comunes como agua y toallas de papel) para explorar algunos temas de investigación científica realmente interesantes. enviando un formulario de recogida local disponible en el sitio web vinculado. Utilice la información de contacto en la página de descripción general del kit STEM para obtener más información. https://www.cns-eoc.colostate.edu/stem-kits/ Debido al peso extremo de la arena utilizada en este kit, la única opción es la recogida local. Este kit se proporciona de forma gratuita para uso educativo.
The simulation beeps each time the ball passes one of the vertical red lines. Just like the bells on Galileo's ramp, the positions of three of the vertical red lines can be adjusted. The first line and the last line are fixed in place, but the sliders allow you to adjust the positions of the second, third, and fourth lines. Move the lines around until the beeps occur at regular time intervals (make sure the sound is on, on your computer or mobile device).
The Gamma-ray Burst Skymap website automatically updates for each gamma-ray burst as it occurs, whether detected by Swift or other orbiting satellites. For each burst, the location on the sky, star map, constellation and detecting mission are generated automatically. It is then quickly updated by hand to include a written description of the burst properties and scientific significance, as observations continue. Note: In order to view the content of the website, users need to download and install Silverlight on their computers.
In this activity, students study gas laws at a molecular level. They vary the volume of a container at constant temperature to see how pressure changes (Boyle's Law), change the temperature of a container at constant pressure to see how the volume changes with temperature (Charles’s Law), and experiment with heating a gas in a closed container to discover how pressure changes with temperature (Gay Lussac's Law). They also discover the relationship between the number of gas molecules and gas volume (Avogadro's Law). Finally, students use their knowledge of gas laws to model a heated soda can collapsing as it is plunged into ice water.
This highly visual model demonstrates the atomic theory of matter which states that a gas is made up of tiny particles of atoms that are in constant motion, smashing into each other. Balls, representing molecules, move within a cage container to simulate this phenomenon. A hair dryer provides the heat to simulate the heating and cooling of gas: the faster the balls are moving, the hotter the gas. Learners observe how the balls move at a slower rate at lower "temperatures."
Pump gas molecules to a box and see what happens as you change the volume, add or remove heat, change gravity, and more. Measure the temperature and pressure, and discover how the properties of the gas vary in relation to each other.
Students learn how a telescope's aperture determines how much light it can gather in this Moveable Museum unit. It has three procedures, one of which is optional. The four-page PDF guide includes suggested general background readings for educators, activity notes, step-by-step directions, and information about where to obtain supplies. In this activity, the light collector is not a lens or a mirror, but a hole in a cardboard box. Light enters through the hole and lights up the box. Users can change the size of the hole and see how the amount of light entering the box changes. The results show why increasing the aperture of a telescope increases the amount of light it can collect.
Generate electricity with a bar magnet! Discover the physics behind the phenomena by exploring magnets and how you can use them to make a bulb light.
This website contains a geologic map of the Island Park, Idaho area. The map shows rocks, deposits, faults, calderas, flows, and other geologic features of interest.
Radiometric age determination using parent/daughter composition and a radiometric decay curve.
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As a culminating project in Applied Geophysics, students plan, design, deploy and analyze independent geophysical field surveys at the university or within the town. These surveys may be on campus (i.e. using GPR or seismic refraction to investigate the likelihood of landsliding near a campus road), or within the greater community. In many cases, potential projects are brought to the class by community groups such as the local Department of Public Works or environmental firms. Recent projects include looking for evidence of an underground storage tank beneath a downtown sidewalk, using GPR to identify debris flows on a nearby alluvial fan, and documentation of ancient tribal gravesites in a local cemetery). Students work in small (2-4 person) groups and where appropriate collaborate with community members to plan the survey and ensure that the appropriate data are collected. Students first submit a project proposal, which gives them experience in developing a hypothesis and justifying their proposed work. Following data collection and analysis, the students write a summary report of the project, a copy of which is given to the community member or organization (in an unofficial context). Students present their work to the class in a short Powerpoint presentation.
Has minimal/no quantitative component
Uses geophysics to solve problems in other fields
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Each student draws a location from a hat. Then they have one week to research the area, starting with its general plate tectonics situation and then on to specific geophysical information on the place. The knowledge must then be distilled into a one page written report with reference and a 10 minute presentation (usually PowerPoint) to the class. Oral presentations (done in lab so we have sufficient time) are graded by their peers as well as myself.
Has minimal/no quantitative component
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