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Listed under:  Science  >  Forces and energy  >  Mechanical energy  >  Motion
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What makes these paper planes fly?

Have you ever wondered what makes a paper plane fly? Think about the design of the paper plane as well as external factors like the various forces that are at play, then make a list of the design considerations and a list of the different forces.

Interactive

Sites2See: Surf safety

A webpage about surfing safety, dangerous waves and rips, and the history and science of surfing. A 'For Kids' section provides games and quizzes for young swimmers and surfers.

Online

Sphero slalom lesson

In this lesson students explore slalom sports and how competitors maximise speed when completing a course. Students research different slalom sports and then share their findings with the class. Students investigate the impact of distance and friction on time to complete a course through digital and unplugged activities. ...

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Stomp Rocket Design Challenge

This resource provides a scaffold for students to complete a design challenge. The design challenge requires students to create a stomp rocket that can travel to a chosen planet in the solar system. The design challenge can also be used to investigate forces and energy. It can be delivered over a number of lessons, or it ...

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Balance

This activity invites students to explore the phenomena of balance and investigate the question, 'Can you find at least three different ways of balancing three identical weights on a balance board?' Students work with a simple balance (e.g., a ruler as the balance board, a toilet-paper-tube fulcrum, and coins as weights), ...

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The Mathematics of Projectiles - Calculate

This activity provides a practical introduction to the motion of projectiles with a focus on angles. It is designed as a lead in to parabolic and quadratic functions.

Interactive

experiMENTALS: Straw propeller

This resource contains a materials and instruction list and brief explanation for students about the process of creating a propeller using two bendy straws and a pair of scissors. A simple demonstration of one of Newton's Laws.

Interactive

experiMENTALS: Gravity defying wheel

This resource contains a materials and instruction list and brief explanation for students about the process of demonstrating resistance to change in a spinning a bike wheel to observe the principles of a gyroscope.

Interactive

Thermal comfort – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

This thermal comfort learning resource will guide students through an extended school based investigation. Students will develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and reflect on their success and their learning.

Online

Primary science: scientific inquiry

These seven learning activities, which focus on 'scientific inquiry' using a variety of tools (software) and devices (hardware), illustrate the ways in which content, pedagogy and technology can be successfully and effectively integrated in order to promote learning. In the activities, teachers facilitate the procedures ...

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Primary science: authentic contexts

These seven learning activities, which focus on 'authentic contexts' using a variety of tools (software) and devices (hardware), illustrate the ways in which content, pedagogy and technology can be successfully and effectively integrated in order to promote learning. In the activities, teachers engage their students' interests, ...

Interactive

Wild ride: get a grip

Investigate the role of friction in performance of bicycle tyres. Test how the type of tread affects grip and speed. Choose tyres best suited to track and weather conditions in a time trial. This learning object is one in a series of four objects.

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Elliot and the Surfing Scientist: Make a lava lamp model using oil and water

Imagine making your very own lava lamp using materials from your kitchen and bathroom. Watch the Surfing Scientist team show you how it can be done, then try and figure out why it works.

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All about engines

What does 'horsepower' really mean? And how do engines work? Join Luke and Abhi from MIT to find out! As Abhi explains, engines produce power by forcing a mixture of fuel and air into a tight space and then burning it. Piston engines and turbine engines do this in similar, yet different ways. After watching this video, ...

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Catalyst: Do heavier things fall faster?

Will a medicine ball or a basketball hit the ground first when dropped at the same time from the same height? In this clip, Catalyst's Dr Derek Muller investigates what influences the speed at which objects fall. Derek challenges some people in a market to make a prediction and explain their thinking, before he finally ...

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Experimentals: Examples of Bernoulli's theorem

Have you ever wondered how a yacht sails into the wind? Watch as the Experimentals team works through practical demonstrations of Bernoulli's theorem. You're in for a few surprises as you learn how gases and liquids change their behavior as they begin to flow.

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Experimentals: Do different things fall faster?

Want to find out what happens when you drop a watermelon and an apple from the top of a building? In this clip, Bernie Hobbs and Ruben Meerman, investigate whether the mass of an object influences how fast it falls. Bernie and Ruben ride the 'Giant Drop' at Dreamworld, drop a watermelon and apple from an eighth floor balcony, ...

Interactive

Energy skate park: basics

This is an interactive teaching and learning resource that years 7 to 10 secondary school students can use to simulate the motion of a skateboarder descending and ascending on a variety of tracks. Height, speed and energy conservation are visually displayed. The skater's mass and starting height, as well as the drag he ...

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Rocket aerodynamics

Rocket aerodynamics is the study of how air flows over a rocket and how this affects design, drag and stability. This article looks at the design of a rocket and the purpose of the features of it.

Online

Collisions and biomechanics lesson

This lesson plan investigates ways in which automobile manufacturers seek to reduce injuries that occur in car accidents. Students note the effects of car accidents on human bodies, the factors that influence the type and severity of injuries, and the safety ratings of vehicles in which they travel regularly. The resource ...