Physics Explorations and Projects is a collection of laboratory investigations aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Most included investigations set up a situation for students to explore and analyze with some guidance from the instructor—a guided-inquiry format that is very different from traditional laboratory experiments that provide step-by-step instructions. The activities are editable and appropriate for high school students from 9th grade to AP Physics. Sample results are included with the extensive instructor information.
Due to the nature of these activities, minimal instruction is provided for software use and data analysis. Instructor experience with Vernier sensors and software is recommended.
Table of Contents
| Experiment | Suggested Products | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Constant Motion and Changing Motion | Dynamics Cart and Track System with Go Direct® Sensor Cart |
| 2 | Balanced Forces and Unbalanced Forces | Dynamics Cart and Track System with Go Direct® Sensor Cart |
| 3 | Gravitation on Earth | Go Direct® Photogate, Picket Fence, Go Direct® Force and Acceleration Sensor |
| 4 | Newton’s Second Law | Dynamics Cart and Track System with Go Direct® Sensor Cart |
| 5 | Projectile Challenge | Go Direct® Projectile Launcher |
| 6 | Impulse and Momentum | Dynamics Cart and Track System with Go Direct® Sensor Cart |
| 7 | Equilibrium of Forces | Fan Cart, Combination Track/Optics Bench, Go Direct® Motion Detector, Ultra Pulley Attachment, Pulley Bracket |
| 8 | Circular Motion | Go Direct® Centripetal Force Apparatus, Go Direct® Force and Acceleration Sensor |
| 9 | Conservation of Momentum | Dynamics Cart and Track System with Go Direct® Sensor Cart |
| 10 | Egg Protection Challenge | No probeware used |
| 11 | Springs Making Things Move | Dynamics Cart and Track System with Go Direct® Sensor Cart |
| 12 | Kinetic Energy and Mass | Dynamics Cart and Track System with Go Direct® Sensor Cart |
| 13 | Work and Kinetic Energy | Dynamics Cart and Track System with Go Direct® Sensor Cart |
| 14 | Work Done by Gravity | Dynamics Cart and Track System with Go Direct® Sensor Cart |
| 15 | Energy in Collisions | Dynamics Cart and Track System with Go Direct® Sensor Cart |
| 16 | Rube Goldberg Machine | No probeware used |
| 17 | Charge and Charge Models | Charge Sensor |
| 18 | Coulomb’s Law | Charge Sensor |
| 19 | Measuring Electric Current | Go Direct® Current Probe, Vernier Circuit Board 2 |
| 20 | Conservation of Charge | Go Direct® Current Probe, Vernier Circuit Board 2 |
| 21 | Voltage in a Circuit | Differential Voltage Probe |
| 22 | Battery Challenge | Go Direct® Voltage Probe, Go Direct® Current Probe |
| 23 | Magnetic Field of a Current | Go Direct® 3-Axis Magnetic Field Sensor, Go Direct® Current Probe |
| 24 | Current from a Changing Field | Go Direct® 3-Axis Magnetic Field Sensor, Go Direct® Current Probe |
| 25 | Generating Electricity | Go Direct® Energy Sensor, KidWind simpleGEN |
| 26 | Speaker | Power Amplifier |
| 27 | Wave Speed on a String | Power Amplifier, Power Amplifier Accessory Speaker |
| 28 | Speed of Sound | Microphone |
| 29 | Interference and Diffraction | Diffraction Apparatus, Combination Track/Optics Bench |
| 30 | Sound and Loudness | Go Direct® Sound Sensor |
| 31 | Wave Communication Challenge | Go Direct® Light and Color Sensor |
| 32 | Energy Storage in Capacitors | Go Direct® Voltage Probe, Go Direct® Current Probe |
| 33 | Oscillations | Go Direct® Motion Detector |
| 34 | Heat as Energy Transfer | FLIR ONE Gen 3, Vernier Thermal Analysis® Plus for FLIR ONE™ |
| 35 | Solar Cells | KidWind 2V/400mA Solar Panel, Go Direct® Energy Sensor, Vernier Variable Load, Go Direct® Surface Temperature Sensor, Go Direct® Light and Color Sensor |
| 36 | Rube Goldberg Machine Revisited | No probeware used |
