We all know it is important to stay fit to be healthy. A big part of what you are doing when you exercise is working your heart - which is a muscle. In today's activity we will see how your heart rate - the number of heart beats per minute - varies under different conditions. Make a hypothesis (the fancy scientific word for "guess") about what you think will happen. Even better, make a guess about why you think it happens. Then try it out.
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This is one I use in class a lot. I like this one because ideas start out very different but as students go through the analyze > redesign > re-test phase of engineering (more on that here) they almost all end up with the same design because in this case, physics dictates that there really is one answer. The challenge? Use a single 10" x 10 " piece of foil to create a "boat" to hold as many pennies as possible before sinking. Good luck!
Ever notice how when you go to the mountains for vacation and you open your shampoo bottle - a bit squirts out at you? Or if you go from the mountains back home, your water bottle might be squished? That's air pressure in action. In the examples I gave, the change in air pressure was caused by changing elevation. In today's activity the change in air pressure will be caused by a change in temperature - so no road trips needed!
We all know that we breathe using our lungs. And most of us think we understand the physics of why air leaves our lungs as we exhale - we can feel our rib cage contracting and we know that when you squeeze a balloon or a ball, air will come out if there is a hole. But most of us don't know actually why air goes into our lungs - we just know it does. In this activity you will make a model of your lungs that shows how they work.
You would think watching ice melt would be about as interesting as watching grass grow. But you'd be wrong. You can learn about and see with your own eyes how crystals form, how air and water interact during a phase change (going from solid to liquid and back), and how the air around you affects what you see. The Exploratorium's page has a wonderful explanation of all the chemical processes you can observe in this simple activity - or you can just watch and see what you can notice.
This is one of my favorite engineering projects because it can be just for fun or you can learn a lot about the physics of catapults - which makes it a great project for families with kids of multiple ages. I include instructions for two different types of simple catapults. They take about 5 minutes to build and a lot more time trying to hit your target! My challenge to you is to figure out how to control variables to make your catapult as consistent as possible. That means your catapult can hit your target most (80%) of the time. This is not as easy as it sounds. An alternative challenge is to try more than one catapult and determine which one is the most accurate. There are also lots of designs on the web or you can try to build one of your own design.
This activity gets 3 Mendall family "Wow"s! I tried it an said "Wow" which made my kids call from the other room to find out what I was doing. They both really like it too. It is super easy and only requires a regular sheet of paper. And yes, it will make it really look like you have a hole in your hand. Give it a try!
Years ago my Mom showed me the only "magic" trick she knew. She took a paper straw and jabbed it all the way through a potato. Eight-year old me was amazed. Especially since, when I tried it, I just made a crumpled mess. Today you'll once again use Physics to add to your "magic" repertoire. It you look on the internet, you can find enough of these physics "magic" tricks to have a whole show!
Sometimes the most simple experiments are some of the most fun. I've done this with classes as we explore the science of sound. Most of us know that a harp makes music by vibrating wires. But did you know that it will work with any string that you can make vibrate - it may not sound as beautiful as a harp - but you can still use a little "string theory" to explore how waves generate sound.
Would you believe me if I told you that you can punch a hole in a water bottle and it won't leak? No, of course not. We all know some water will flow out. But will all of the water flow out? That's the question I want you to ask yourself as you do this experiment.
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You Can Continue to Earn the Patches over the SUmmer!
welcome!
Every school day I will post a new experiment for you to try at home. Some may be familiar to you - as they are my favorites from class - but most will be experiments I found on the web that have readily available materials. Happy Sciencing! Earn a Patch
Sunol Glen Students - Complete an additional 10 experiments (20 total) from this site and I will send you this patch: Parents - just email me when students have completed a challenge, no proof required. Categories |