Physical Science

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RESOURCE	GRADE LEVEL	MEDIA TYPE
Amplitude This interactive activity adapted from the University of Utah's ASPIRE Lab shows how a pendulum's amplitude changes as you set it swinging from different distances from its axis, and how the amplitude of a sound wave changes as you adjust the volume.	6-12	Interactive
Astronomical Images in Different Wavelengths Visible light is just one portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that a telescope may detect. This collection of images produced for Teachers' Domain features radio wave, infrared, visible light, and X-ray images of distant stars and galaxies as well as images of the telescopes designed to detect the various wavelengths of radiation.	6-12	Interactive
Booming Sands This video segment, adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, presents basic concepts of physics behind "booming" sand dunes. See how surface tension affects potential and kinetic energy and how it all works together to create sound.	6-12	Video
Carbon Cycle Diagram This diagram from NASA's Earth Science Enterprise illustrates Earth's carbon cycle.	6-12	Image
Chemical Bonds This interactive activity developed for Teachers' Domain demonstrates how attractive forces between atoms create chemical bonds, resulting in the formation of molecules and compounds.	9-12	Interactive
CO₂ Concentrations at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaiʻi This resource, adapted from the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, provides a graph of monthly average carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration from 1958 to 2000 at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaiʻi.	6-12	Document
Collisions on an Air Track In this interactive activity adapted from the University of Toronto, observe the effect of mass on momentum in elastic and inelastic collisions.	9-12	Interactive
Cooking with Sugar Find out about the chemistry of candy and how sugar reacts at different temperatures to become fudge, caramel, lollipops, and more in this interactive activity adapted from the Exploratorium.	5-8	Interactive
Cow's Eye Dissection In this interactive activity adapted from the Exploratorium, watch videos of a cow eye dissection and see how an eye works.	6-12	Interactive
Disappearing Milk A magician pours milk into a glass, but when he turns the glass upside down, nothing comes out. How does he do it? Discover the science behind the "magic" in this video adapted from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.	4-12	Interactive
Energy in a Roller Coaster Ride See potential energy convert to kinetic energy in this interactive activity from WGBH that shows a roller coaster in action.	3-12	Interactive
Energy Transfer in a Trebuchet On NOVA, a team of carpenters, timber framers, engineers, and historians recreate a medieval throwing machine called a trebuchet. This adapted video segment explores how understanding energy transfer informs their design.	6-12	Video
Frequency In this interactive activity adapted from the University of Utah's ASPIRE Lab, investigate frequency in terms of trampoline jumps, pendulum swings, and electromagnetic waves.	6-12	Interactive
Galileo on the Moon Watch Apollo 15 astronaut David Scott perform Galileo's falling objects experiment on the Moon in this video segment from NASA.	6-12	Video
Gas Properties In this interactive simulation adapted from University of Colorado’s Physics Education Technology project, change parameters and discover how the properties of a gas vary in relation to each other.	6-12	Interactive
Geometric Optics This interactive simulation adapted from the University of Colorado's Physics Education Technology project illustrates how lenses refract light to form images. Manipulate the object, screen, lens, and focal length and observe how the image adjusts.	6-12	Interactive
Global Warming: Carbon Dioxide and the Greenhouse Effect This video segment adapted from NOVA/FRONTLINE demonstrates the physical property of carbon dioxide that causes the greenhouse effect.	6-12	Video
Helium Is Boring In this video adapted from the National Science Center, observe a demonstration to discover how helium gas is inert and hydrogen gas is reactive.	3-8	Video
How Would You Turn a Bolt in Space? In this fast-paced NASA Brain Bites™ video, an astronaut demonstrates the impact of microgravity on the use of tools in space.	3-8	Video
Infrared Gallery How would your world look if you saw heat instead of light? In this interactive resource produced for Teachers' Domain, see what familiar objects look like through an infrared camera and watch infrared videos of geysers, mudpots, and hot springs.	3-12	Interactive
Infrared: More Than Your Eyes Can See In this video segment adapted from NASA, astronomer Michelle Thaller introduces the world of infrared light and demonstrates how infrared cameras allow us to see more than what the naked eye can perceive.	3-12	Video
Investigating Kinetic and Potential Energy Students use media resources and an in-class investigation to explore the types of energy within different types of systems. They also use the formulas for kinetic and potential energy to examine the path of a projectile.	9-12	Lesson Plan
Making Big Waves Certain sections of the Northern California coast are host to some of the largest, most spectacular ocean waves in the world. In this video segment from QUEST, learn about how these waves are able to get so large.	9-12	Video
Masses and Springs In this interactive simulation adapted from the University of Colorado's Physics Education Technology project, hang various masses from different springs and see the kinetic, potential, and thermal energy of each spring system. You can even slow time or move your demonstration to another planet.	6-12	Interactive
Melting Ice In this media-rich lesson, students explore the role that ice plays on Earth, the factors causing it to melt, and the local and global consequences of melting ice.	6-12	Lesson Plan
Momentum In this interactive activity adapted from Wake Forest University, observe the effect of mass on velocity and momentum in elastic and inelastic collisions.	8-12	Interactive
Ohm's Law In this interactive simulation of Ohm’s law, adapted from the University of Colorado's Physics Education Technology project, adjust the voltage and resistance in a circuit, and observe how this affects the flow of current.	3-12	Interactive
Periodic Table of the Elements This interactive periodic table developed for Teachers' Domain provides detailed information about the chemical properties of elements and illustrates the electron configurations that determine those characteristics.	6-12	Interactive
Periodic Table of the Elements Chart This downloadable periodic table of elements, produced for Teachers' Domain, provides easy, transportable access to a wealth of chemical information, including the oxidation state number of each element.	6-12	Document
Periodic Table of the Elements essay This essay, written for Teachers' Domain, describes the foresight and pattern recognition that Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleyev used to develop the modern periodic table of elements.	6-12	Document
Projectile Motion In this interactive simulation adapted from University of Colorado’s Physics Education Technology project, learn about projectile motion by firing various objects from a virtual cannon into the air. Experiment with the settings and try to hit a target.	6-12	Interactive
Quantum Mechanical Atom This illustrated essay, written for Teachers' Domain, describes the orderly arrangement of electrons around the nucleus of an atom and explains how to determine each element's configuration based on the number of electrons it has.	9-12	Document
Radio Waves & Electromagnetic Fields In this interactive simulation adapted from the University of Colorado's Physics Education Technology project, explore how a radio transmitter broadcasts electromagnetic radiation.	6-12	Interactive
Ringed-Carbon Compounds In this interactive activity adapted from NOVA, learn about alkaloids and steroids, both examples of compounds with carbon rings. Short videos with interviews, animations, and photographs are featured.	9-12	Interactive
Snowflake Physics Explore the science behind snowflake formation by examining water molecule structure and other conditions that affect snowflake growth in this interactive activity adapted from SnowCrystals.com.	6-12	Interactive
Sound This interactive simulation, adapted from the University of Colorado's Physics Education Technology project, illustrates sound waves. Adjust the frequency and amplitude to see and hear how the waves change.	6-12	Interactive
Torque In this interactive activity adapted from Wake Forest University, observe how rotational force, or torque, is related to the distance between the pivot and the point of the applied force.	9-12	Interactive
Transforming the Future of Flight In this video segment adapted from NASA, learn how engineers are transforming the future of flight by designing airplanes based on principles found in nature.	3-12	Video
Vibration Patterns on a Chladni Plate In this interactive activity adapted from the University of Southern California, investigate how sound vibrations cause patterns to form in sand on a metal plate.	9-12	Interactive
Virtual Car: Velocity and Acceleration Take control of a virtual car and learn how vectors are used to represent velocity and acceleration in this interactive activity developed for Teachers' Domain.	6-12	Interactive
Wavelength In this interactive activity adapted from the University of Utah's ASPIRE Lab, learn how to measure wavelengths and see how wavelength affects the color of the light that we see.	6-12	Interactive
What Is a Planet? This video segment, adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, presents the ongoing debate over the definition of a planet, including the status of Pluto.	3-12	Video
What Is a Wave? This interactive activity adapted from Dr. Dan Russell, Kettering University, and the University of Utah's ASPIRE Lab provides an overview of the characteristics and properties of various types of waves, including light waves, sound waves, and water waves.	6-12	Interactive
WMAP: "Baby Picture" of the Universe View the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) image from NASA to see the first detailed map of the oldest light in the universe, from 379,000 years after the Big Bang, over 13 billion years ago. A second image offers a visual timeline to put the WMAP image in perspective.	9-12	Image