Breaking Away from the Math and Science Book

Provides materials that teachers can use directly in their classrooms without expensive or specialized equipment. The material is presented in a modular format that allows one to adapt it to different levels of students, from higher elementary through high school.

Preface: An Old School Textbook in Physics

ix

Acknowledgments

xiii

Introduction

1

(2)

Chapter 1 Lava, Trees, and Ostrich Eggs

3

(30)

Unit 1 Lava

5

(3)

Unit 2 Maple Seeds

8

(4)

Unit 3 Tree Rings

12

(5)

Unit 4 Tree Rings in Early Grades

17

(2)

Unit 5 The Height of a Tree

19

(4)

Unit 6 Ostrich Eggs

23

(6)

Unit 7 Another Way to Find the Volume of an Ostrich Egg

29

(4)

Chapter 2 Some Basic Physics Concepts

33

(16)

Unit 1 Scientific Explanations

35

(2)

Unit 2 Mass and Weight

37

(2)

Unit 3 Direction of Forces

39

(1)

Unit 4 Decomposition of Forces

40

(1)

Unit 5 Properties and Interactions

41

(2)

Unit 6 What Is Gravity?

43

(6)

Chapter 3 Stability of a Structure

49

(28)

Unit 1 Designing an Experiment

51

(2)

Unit 2 A Conversation about Weight and Mass

53

(2)

Unit 3 Feeling Forces

55

(2)

Unit 4 Weight Is a Force

57

(4)

Unit 5 Distribution of Weights

61

(3)

Unit 6 Examples of Computations of the Stability of a Structure

64

(7)

Unit 7 More on the Distribution of Weights

71

(2)

Unit 8 Predicting the Location of the Center of Gravity

73

(4)

Chapter 4 Friction

77

(14)

Unit 1 What Is Friction?

79

(6)

Unit 2 A Simpler Experiment with Friction for Younger Students

85

(2)

Unit 3 Getting a Grip on Friction

87

(4)

Chapter 5 Pulleys and Ramps

91

(14)

Unit 1 Pulleys

93

(3)

Unit 2 Holding Objects on Ramps

96

(4)

Unit 3 Pulling and Holding Objects on Ramps and Lifting Objects Up

100

(3)

Unit 4 Spring-Powered Cars

103

(2)

Chapter 6 Moving Objects

105

(26)

Unit 1 Racing Cars

107

(2)

Unit 2 Instant Velocity

109

(1)

Unit 3 Measuring Average Speed

110

(3)

Unit 4 Rolling Balls

113

(3)

Unit 5 Sliding Balls

116

(2)

Unit 6 Questions and Answers about Colliding Balls

118

(4)

Unit 7 Components of Velocity and Momentum

122

(2)

Unit 8 Momentum and Forces

124

(2)

Unit 9 Preservation of Momentum

126

(2)

Unit 10 Momentum and Kinetic Energy

128

(3)

Chapter 7 Swinging Objects

131

(12)

Unit 1 Playing with Softballs Tied to a String

133

(2)

Unit 2 Swinging Weight

135

(8)

Chapter 8 Powered Flight

143

(20)

Unit 1 Playing with Units

145

(1)

Unit 2 Energy and Force

146

(3)

Unit 3 Potential Energy

149

(3)

Unit 4 Water Rockets

152

(4)

Unit 5 How High Does a Rocket Fly?

156

(3)

Unit 6 More about Rockets

159

(4)

Chapter 9 Magnetism and Electricity

163

(42)

Unit 1 Physical Units

165

(3)

Unit 2 Introduction to Magnetic Forces

168

(3)

Unit 3 The Structure of a Magnet

171

(2)

Unit 4 Magnetic Fields

173

(5)

Unit 5 Magnetic Sand and Patterns with Iron Filings

178

(3)

Unit 6 Simulation of Lines of a Magnetic Field

181

(3)

Unit 7 A Chaotic Pendulum

184

(2)

Unit 8 Making a Closed Circuit

186

(2)

Unit 9 Electromagnetic Forces

188

(5)

Unit 10 Electromagnets

193

(3)

Unit 11 General Information about Electricity

196

(2)

Unit 12 Photovoltaic Cells

198

(2)

Unit 13 Questions and Answers about Magnetism and Electricity

200

(5)

Chapter 10 Heat and Temperature

205

(16)

Unit 1 What Is Temperature?

207

(2)

Unit 2 The "Flow" of Heat

209

(3)

Unit 3 Basic Facts about Heat and Temperature

212

(3)

Unit 4 Experiments with Heat

215

(2)

Unit 5 Melting Ice

217

(2)

Unit 6 Energy Requirements for a Household and for a Human

219

(2)

Chapter 11 Hydrostatics and Hydrodynamics

221

(12)

Unit 1 Flow of Water

223

(3)

Unit 2 Inverted Glass of Water

226

(3)

Unit 3 An Explanation for the Inverted Glass of Water Phenomenon

229

(4)

Chapter 12 Light

233

(10)

Unit 1 Does Light Travel in a Straight Line?

235

(3)

Unit 2 Working with Mirrors

238

(5)

About the Authors

243

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Breaking Away from the Math and Science Book Physics and Other Projects for Grades 3-12

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials