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  • Simple Motor, Two-Coil Motor

    Book Chapter |

    This chapter focuses on the use of some very simple materials to produce an electric motor with which to demonstrate the principles of magnetism. A variation of the simple motor replaces the usual ceramic magnet with a…

  • Lightbulbs

    Book Chapter |

    The principle of a lightbulb can be demonstrated without the danger of creating a vacuum inside a glass jar. One of the difficulties in demonstrating a lightbulb centers on the removal of air from the chamber using a…

  • Can You Top This?

    Book Chapter |

    Tops are ancient toys that have been spinning around for thousands of years. Their movement—fascinating to watch—appeals to the child in all of us, and the action and the study of tops appeal to a wide range of age…

  • Inertia Block

    Book Chapter |

    Newton's first law of motion describes the resistance of an object to change in the speed and direction of its motion. The law also holds that objects will resist being put into motion. This concept is described as…

  • Resonant Pendulums

    Book Chapter |

    Examples of resonance can be shown by using a variety of pendulum demonstrations. This chapter features a coupled pendulum and a Wilberforce pendulum. After observing the motion of the coupled pendulums or the…

  • Hero's Fountain

    Book Chapter |

    Hero of Alexandria, in about 62 AD, demonstrated that a small amount of water could be lifted to a point higher than its origin. This apparently contradicts that water can rise only to its own level. In this chapter,…

  • String Racers

    Book Chapter |

    String racers are an effective way to demonstrate Newton's third law. In this chapter, the instructions give plans for two types of string racers—the simple balloon racers that are quick and easy to build and a rubber…

  • Solar Motor

    Book Chapter |

    The solar motor is an excellent way of demonstrating one method of changing solar energy directly into motion. For students to understand its operation, they need to understand some basic concepts. One is that matter…

  • Weigh Your Cans

    Book Chapter |

    In this chapter, find out what a can of soda would feel like on other planets by altering the contents of several containers to simulate the change in surface gravity according to the various planets. This set of cans…

  • Balanced Breakfast Box

    Book Chapter |

    This chapter provides the opportunity for students to observe the breakfast box sitting in plain view on a shelf, table, window ledge or in any other position that is remote enough to keep anyone from accidentally…

  • How Do Fossils Form?

    Book Chapter |

    A fossil is any evidence of an ancient organism. The remains of the body, such as bones, shells, leaf impressions, etc., are called body fossils. The evidence of animal activity, such as tracks, trails, and burrows, are…

  • What Can You Learn From Fossils?

    Book Chapter |

    At one point or another, it seems like all students are interested in paleontology. Wonderful extinct animals like dinosaurs excite the imagination like almost nothing else. Once you have the students' interest, you…

  • Mass Extinction and Meteor Collisions With Earth

    Book Chapter |

    Paleontologists divide extinctions into two broad categories—background extinctions and mass extinctions. Background extinctions occur continuously while mass extinctions are unusual in that they involve very large…

  • How Are Fossils Collected and Prepared?

    Book Chapter |

    This chapter describes some ways that fossils are found and prepared and guides the reader though the steps of preparing real fossil specimens. Three activities are presented that focus on specific fossil collection and…

  • How Can You Tell the Age of Earth?

    Book Chapter |

    In the activity in this chapter, a table of measurements is presented that can be used to construct a model of the age of Earth and some of the most important events in its history. The models are constructed out of a…

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