An Open Bottle for Inquiry on New Year's
It’s New Year’s Eve, and with any luck, soon the music and Champagne bottles will be poppin’. Not only it is an opportunity to raise a glass in toast, it is also raises an interesting science question:How can we measure...
May the Force Sensor Be With You
The Force Sensor Awakens! With the release of the newest Star Wars film you can channel your own Jedi powers and awaken your students’ interest by studying the Force— or at least forces. As Obi Wan says, forces are all...
Star Wars Biomes
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Luke, Han and Yoda explored planets with alien societies and life forms. We’re restricted to exploring Earth (for now), but we are lucky to inhabit a planet that is full of diversity....
Light(saber) Emission Spectroscopy
Lightsabers are not only the weapons of choice of Jedi Knights and those that have fallen to the dark side of the Force, they can also be great tools to introduce emission spectroscopy and atomic theory to the Padawans in...
Impulse Control - Studying Collisions
The unit on impulse and momentum is always a fun one to teach since it involves memorable demonstrations— like throwing an egg at a bed sheet. It also has great applications to driving safety, something that can never be...
Inflate their knowledge of Gas Laws
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons an annual US holiday tradition, but not all spectators realize that they are also a great example of science and engineering at work. You can use these multi-storied helium-filled...
Watershed Studies: Oh-no! Where's my DO?
Earth disturbances are fairly common in areas with construction or mining, but what exactly is the impact of this type of disturbance? And how can you show your students about the chemical changes that are taking place and...
Mechanical Bull Riding
We had a great time at CAST in Fort Worth, Texas last week. We had some fantastic BBQ and Tex Mex, but to really experience the cowboy scientist’s lifestyle we decided to investigate Forces and Motion by trying our hand...