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Applying Age-Old Physics: Using ancient inventions to teach modern physics concepts

The Science Teacher—December 2001

Despite daily use of computers, cell phones, and sound systems, students are fascinated by the technology that our ancestors once used to survive. Ancient inventions are great tools for fostering understanding of physics content and real-world applications, integrating history, and cultivating students’ appreciation for their ancestors’ intelligence. These tools are also great interdisciplinary vehicles that can be used as part of a social studies or math lesson. In this article, two activities and a demonstration use an atlatl, a trebuchet, and a fire plow to teach the concepts of work and simple machines, projectile motion, and the transfer of energy, respectively.
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