9 AWESOME PROJECT-BASED PHYSICSCHALLENGES THATENGAGE STUDENTS!ACTIVE PHYSICS®

Challenge: Driving the roads. Studentsdemonstrate their knowledge of thephysics of driving by making a presentationto a board of driving instructors.

CHAPTER 1

Through a series of activities, students learn about averageand instantaneous speed and then connect informationabout reaction time, speed, and velocity to tailgating. Theyexplore acceleration, positive and negative, in the contextof the time required to bring a vehicle to a stop anddecision-making at a yellow light. They also learn aboutcentripetal force and acceleration and relate it to driving oncurves.

Challenge: Physics in action. Studentsdevelop a 2–3 minute voice-over for asports clip explaining the physicsinvolved in the sport.

CHAPTER 2

Students measure motion and learn about speed andacceleration. Through explorations, they learn about forceand “discover” Newton’s three laws of motion and how theyrelate to sports. They also investigate acceleration due togravity as well as physical and mathematical models ofprojectile motion. They explore friction, calculate thecoefficient of friction, and consider the effect of friction insports. Then they learn about gravitational potential energy,kinetic energy, spring potential energy, the law ofconservation of energy, and how energy and work arerelated.

Challenge: Safety. Students design asafety system to protect passengersduring a collision.

CHAPTER 3

Students use Newton’s first law to describe what happensduring a collision and apply the concept of pressure to thedesign of a seatbelt. They observe the effect of spreading aforce over a greater distance and explain theirobservations using the work-energy theorem. Afterexploring the effects of a rear-end collision, they useNewton’s laws to describe how whiplash occurs. Studentsinvestigate the law of conservation of momentum byanalyzing collisions. They measure velocity and force on avehicle during impact and describe the relationshipbetween impulse and momentum.

Challenge: Thrills and chills. Studentsmodify the design of a roller coaster to meetthe needs of a specific group of riders.

CHAPTER 4

Students use gravitational and potential energy to explaintheir observations of a ball rolling down an incline and aswinging pendulum. They investigate spring potentialenergy and explore the law of conservation of energy. Theydetermine the relationship between gravitational force anddistance. Students learn about the difference betweenmass and weight, and determine Hooke’s law andcalculate spring potential energy. Students investigatecentripetal force and apply it to a roller coaster. They pull amass up different routes to a fixed height and develop adefinition of work and its relationship to power. Studentsdevelop concept maps on force and energy and exploreexamples of each on a roller coaster.

Challenge: Let us entertain you. Studentsdesign a sound and light show.

CHAPTER 5

Students connect vibrations and waves to sound. Theyobserve transverse and longitudinal waves and investigatethe relationship between speed and amplitude, medium onwave speed, the principle of superposition, and therelationship between speed and frequency, in order toconstruct instruments for their sound show. To design theirlight show, students explore reflected light, plane andcurved mirrors, refraction of light, the effect of lenses, andcolor.

Challenge: Electricity for everyone.Students design an appliance package for afamily home that is powered by a wind-driven generator.

CHAPTER 6

Students explore current, voltage, and resistance in paralleland series circuits. They create a simple fuse and calculateload limits of a household circuit. Students investigate heattransfer and learn about the laws of thermodynamics andentropy. They calculate the efficiency of various waterheaters and apply this to designing their appliancepackage.

Challenge: Toys forunderstanding. Students develop a toythat uses a motor or generator, and aninstruction manual for assembly.

CHAPTER 7

Students explore the relationship between electricity andmagnetism. They test the strength of differentelectromagnets and construct and operate a DC motor.They construct a galvanometer and use a permanentmagnet and a solenoid to induce a current. They exploreproducing an electric generator and learn the differencebetween AC and DC. Maxwell and his discovery that allelectromagnetic waves travel at the speed of light isdiscussed.

Challenge: Atoms on display. Studentsdevelop a museum exhibit to acquaintvisitors with aspects of the atom.

CHAPTER 8

Students learn about the quantization of a charge,investigate spectral lines, and learn about Bohr’s model.The wave and particle nature of light is explored,Schrodinger wave equation is introduced non-mathematically, and the dual wave and particle nature ofelectrons is also discussed. Students learn about the strongforce and Feynman diagrams. They explore radioactivedecay and half-life using randomly tossed marked cubes.They are introduced to Einstein’s equation and use it tocalculate energy liberated by the conversion of mass.Students also explore nuclear fission and fusion reactions. -

Challenge: Sports on the moon. Studentsdevelop a proposal for NASA by adaptingor inventing a sport that can be played onthe Moon.

CHAPTER 9

Students explore acceleration due to gravity, Newton’ssecond law, projectile motion, conservation of energy,friction, the period of a pendulum, air resistance andterminal velocity, and apply these concepts to developtheir sport to be played on the Moon.

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