One, Two, Three Isaac Newton and Me!

One, Two, Three Isaac Newton and Me! Problem: Which Hot wheel car will be the fastest to make it to the bottom of each ramp; why? Which tracks will all cars move down the fastest and which one will they move down the slowest; why? Hypothesis:. Materials: Hot Wheels cars of various masses, 5 different homemade tracks, Stopwatches, Meter sticks, Triple-Beam Balance Procedures: 1. Everybody has a job in this one. Look for your first job on the Job Posting List. 2. If you were given the job of "Vehicle Inspector," you and your group will be in charge of a car. You must first measure the mass of the car and then write a detailed description of the car. 3. If you were given the job of "Track Surveyor," you will measure the dimensions of the track you were assigned and then write a detailed description of the track. 4. Wait for your teacher's instructions. 5. After these tasked are completed, you will share your findings with the class. 6. After all the data has been shared, you will, as groups, formulate a hypothesis to the two-fold problem. 7. We will then test the amount of time it takes each car to travel down the distance of each track at a 45º angle (Run an Experiment). Teachnology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 1

Description of Cars Car Number Mass of Car General Description of This Car Description of Tracks Track Number General Description (Is the surface rough? How long is it?) Teachnology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2

Who needs Bell Atlantic? Problem: What is sound and how does it travel? Hypothesis:. Materials: pencils, 2 paper cups, 9-yard piece of string, and an assistant. Procedure: 1. Use the pencil to make a small hole in the bottom of each cup. 2. Thread the ends of the string through the holes in the cups. 3. Knot each end of the string to keep them from pulling through the holes. 4. Have your partner hold one cup while you hold the other. Hold the cups by placing your thumb and index finger on the rim. 5. Walk away from your partner until the string is stretched tightly between you. 6. Hold the cup to your ear while your partner speaks softly into the other cup. 7. On a piece of paper, write down five sentences (at least ten words each). Read those sentences to your partner through the partition that you have created. Your partner must try to hear what you say and write it down on a piece of paper. Read each sentence twice and then compare notes to see how many they got right and then trade places and repeat step #7. Conclusion Questions: 1. What is sound? What kind of waves carries sound? 2. Compare the transmission of sound in solids, liquids, and gases. 3. What is the Doppler effect? Teachnology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3

"Battle of the Spheres" Problem: Why do three different spheres roll down an inclined plane at different rates? Hypothesis:. Materials: 3 marbles (Different sizes &/or weights), inclined plane, metric ruler, and a milk carton. Procedure: Data: 1. Get in groups of four to six; find a station with an inclined plane. Get a ruler! 2. Have one of your group members get a carton and three differently sized spheres. 3. Place the carton top at the end line drawn on the inclined plane. 4. Take the smallest sphere and roll it down the plane, without any added force. 5. After the sphere falls into the milk carton and moves it, measure the distance the milk carton moved from the line. Repeat this process seven more times. Throw out the 3 lowest and 3 highest measurements and record the middle distance on the backside of this lab handout. 6. Repeat step #5 with the medium Sphere. 7. Repeat step #5 with the large Sphere. 8. Answer the conclusion questions as a group. Small Sphere Trial Distance Traveled Average distance from the carton traveled- Teachnology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4

Medium Sphere Trial Distance Traveled Average distance from the carton traveled- Large Sphere Trial Distance Traveled Conclusion Questions: Average distance from the carton traveled- 1. Which sphere moved the carton the farthest; why? 2. Which sphere moved the carton the least; why? 3. When, in the experiment, did the sphere have potential energy? 4. When, in the experiment, did the sphere have kinetic energy? 5. Which marble had the greatest potential energy? Which marble had the least kinetic energy? Teachnology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 5

It's Coming To Me! Problem: Which paraffin square will melt first? How long will it take of all the squares to melt? Hypothesis:. Materials: 16 cm strips of metal, 6 pieces of paraffin, a flame source, ring stands. Procedure: Data: 1. Put 6 pieces of paraffin on a 6in piece of metal. Make sure they are spaced out 2.2 cm's apart. 2. Using 2 ring stands, suspend the metal strip high enough so that a flame source can go right underneath. 3. Light the flame source, make it a steady medium flame, and place the source underneath either ring stand. 4. As soon as you do that, begin to record the time it takes for each square to melt. 5. When all squares have melted, stop the flame. Square #1 Square #2 Square #3 Square #4 Square #5 Square #6 Conclusion Questions: 1. What is heat? 2. What are three methods of heat transfer? 3. How does a thermometer measure temperature? 4. What is specific heat? Teachnology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6

What's so simple about these SIMPLE MACHINES? Problem: What are the names and different functions of the six most common simple machines? Hypothesis:. Materials: The class will supply the materials for this one! Procedure: Part A: 1. You should have been told by your teacher to bring in a broken appliance or toy. Ask your teacher to get the classes collection out for you. 2. Using the back of this sheet, you will put the name of the material under which simple machine(s) it has in its design. Remember these compound machines, which can be made up of many different types of simple machines. One material could be listed as being composed of more than one type, sometimes all six, and simple machines. 3. You will get a day or two make sure you examine every material brought into class. A Lab write-up is due just for part A one-week after part A is completed. Part B: 1. For the next part of the Lab, you will have five days. You must with one partner design a model, using three or more of the simple machines studied. 2. This part will count for a test grade you must produce seven materials to communicate your product. Two Drawing of your model with all the simple machine parts labeled. B) A List of the materials you would use to build your machine. C) A Cost analysis of how much each part would cost and of how much the total machine will cost you to make. Also an estimated retail price of how much you would sell this to the public for. D) You must make an advertisement (brochure, magazine-like ad, and poster) that promotes your product. E) You must also due a customer analysis. This tells you who would most likely buy your product and where they live. F) You must also calculate how many of these you would have to sell to make one million dollars ($1,000,000) 3. Don't waste time get to work, there is plenty to do. Teachnology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 7

Flexing those Magnet Muscles! Problems: Which lab magnet is the strongest? Which is the weakest? What part of a magnet is the strongest? Hypothesis:. Materials: Several bar magnets and/or magnets of different sizes and shapes, several magnetic objects (paper clips, nails, iron filings, etc.), several nonmagnetic objects (plastic, paper, coins, etc.), pens and/or pencils, datacapture sheet - one per student; 20 small nails, large nails, 20 metal paper clips, several compasses, a table or flat surface, wooden rulers and construction paper. Procedure: 1. Once each group has been placed, the groups will be given the rules for each learning station. Students will have 20 minutes to formulate a hypothesis, test the hypothesis and come up with a conclusion for each station. Predictions and outcomes are to be in written format by the stenographer in each cooperative learning group. 2. You will make a data-capture sheet with your teacher. 3. Each group begins to research. STATION A ATTRACTION ACTION 1. Using a bar magnet, select one object at time to see if it is magnetic. 2. Record your findings on the data-capture sheet provided. 3. Once you have tested all of the objects provided, be creative and find five more objects to test for magnet properties. 4. Repeat step. STATION B MAGNETIC MUSCLE 1. With the 20 nails, make a pile on a desk or other hard surface. 2. Choose one magnet and place it in the pile of nails. 3. Slowly lift it out of the pile and record the number of nails it picks up on the data-capture sheet provided. 4. Repeat steps 2-3 with the remaining magnets. 5. Replace the nails with the 20 paper clips and repeat steps 2-4. Compare your results from the first experience. Teachnology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 9

STATION C MAGNETIC MAP 1. Place the bar magnet in the middle of the piece of paper and trace around it to mark its position. 2. Put the compass on the paper near the magnet. Draw and arrow between the compass and the magnet showing the farthest point where the compass needle is affected by the magnetic field. 3. Repeat step two several times all around the magnet. 4. Once you have completed step three, you will be able to see where the magnetic field exists, where it is the strongest, and where it is the weakest. STATION D NEIGHBORLY NAIL 1. With the large nails try to pick up some of the smaller nails or paper clips. Observe what happens and record on data capture sheet. 2. With one end of the bar magnet, stroke the nail 25 times in the same direction. 3. Try again to pick up the small nails or paper clips with the newly magnetized nail. Observe what happens and record on data-capture sheet. 4. Carefully throw the magnetized nail against a hard surface. 5. Try one more time to pick up the small nails or paper clips with the nails. Observe what happens and record on data-capture sheet. 6. Repeat this experience using iron fillings instead of nails or paper clip. Observe what happens and record on data-capture sheet. Teachnology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 10