JoinAll Book Chapters
Book Chapter
Guitar Designs—Exploring How Music Is Made
In this activity, students use household items to make a functional guitar that can play at least one octave and a song. This selection highlights the physics concepts of sound and wave properties, as well as the core engineering concepts of design, ...
Book Chapter
Newton’s Third Law Paper Trampoline
In this activity, students learn about Newton’s third law by testing fabrics and other materials for a trampoline designed to provide the highest possible bounce of a steel ball. This selection highlights the physics concepts of Newton’s third la...
Book Chapter
In this activity, students use a 30 cm × 30 cm piece of aluminum foil to construct a boat that supports the weight of the largest number of golf balls. This selection highlights the physics concepts of net force and buoyancy, as well as the core eng...
Book Chapter
Beyond the Egg Drop: Infusing Engineering Into High School Physics (Book Sample)
Problem: You’re eager to expand your physics curriculum and engage your students with engineering content but you don’t know how. Solution: Use the approach and lessons in Beyond the Egg Drop to infuse engineering into what you’re already teach...
Book Chapter
In this activity, students are challenged to construct a cantilever that supports the greatest weight at the greatest distance from the edge of a desk using only the materials provided. This selection highlights the core engineering concepts of desig...
Book Chapter
Cards to the Sky Gummy Bear Tower
In this activity, students use playing cards to build a tower that can withstand wind such that gummy bears can stand on top of it. This selection highlights the core engineering concepts of design and analysis. It includes the Table of Contents, Pre...
Book Chapter
In this activity, students use tape, string, and 20 strands of spaghetti to build the tallest tower that will support one large marshmallow on top. This selection highlights the core engineering concept of design. It includes the Table of Contents, P...
Book Chapter
In this activity, students create a mathematical model to predict the time it will take for a soda can punctured with holes of different sizes to drain. This selection highlights the core engineering concept of models. It includes the Table of Conten...
Book Chapter
In this activity, students will predict and analyze how different materials will behave in a wind tube, then design and test a hovercraft that can stay in the wind tube for 10 seconds. This selection highlights the core engineering concepts of design...
Book Chapter
In this activity, students create a Rube Goldberg device that includes at least three energy transfers and eventually pops a balloon. This selection highlights the core engineering concepts of systems. It includes the Table of Contents, Preface, Summ...
Book Chapter
In this activity, students use limited materials to design a balloon-powered cart that travels three meters in less than five seconds. This selection highlights the physics concepts of distance, time, velocity, Newton’s laws, and energy, as well as...
Book Chapter
In this activity, students use a toothbrush, a small motor, and some wire to make a bristlebot, then optimize it for maximum displacement. This selection highlights the physics concepts of distance, time, velocity, and vectors, as well as the core en...
Book Chapter
In this activity, students design a mousetrap-powered car that goes the fastest down a narrow racetrack. This selection highlights the physics concepts of motion and force, as well as the core engineering concepts of design, systems, and models. It i...
Book Chapter
Amusement Park Engineer—Bumper Cars
In this activity, students use PhET simulation to create a proposal for a design of a set of bumper cars that are safe, fair, and fun for children, teenagers, and adults. This selection highlights the physics concept of momentum, as well as the core ...
Book Chapter
In this activity, students design a vehicle that successfully lands an egg dropped from a height of two meters. They use force plates, motion detectors, and other tools for analysis along the way. This selection highlights the physics concept of impu...