About This Chapter
Physics Experiments - Chapter Summary and Learning Objectives
Physics is often thought as a difficult subject for students to understand. There are many different formulas, theories and principles that are used in physics. This chapter presents labs and experiments that seek to explain various aspects of physics in a simple and beneficial way. Specific experiments and labs that are presented in this chapter include those related to electroscopes, Newton's First and Third Laws of Motion, and heat insulation. You'll also go over labs regarding the principles of Bernoulli and Archimedes. Additional experiments will focus on:
- Aluminum foil boats
- Atmospheric pressure
- Drops on a penny lab
- Heat transfer
- Projectile motion
- Sink or float experiment
- Ohm's law
- Period of a pendulum
1. Aluminum Foil Boat Experiment
In this experiment, we'll learn what design parameters allow boats to float. Our goal will be to answer the research question, 'What is the relationship between volume and the amount of weight a boat can hold?'
2. Atmospheric Pressure Experiment
In this experiment, you'll be learning about the relationship between air pressure and temperature. To do this, we'll be crushing a water bottle, not with our hands, but with the unseen pressure of the atmosphere.
3. Bernoulli's Principle Experiment
In this experiment, we'll be studying Bernoulli's principle by increasing the velocity of air around a paper tent. After doing this experiment you'll understand the relationship between velocity and air pressure and how this principle applies to flight.
4. Archimedes' Principle Lab
In this lab, you'll be studying Archimedes' principle. To do this, we'll be experimenting with the relationship between density of an object and the magnitude of the buoyant force.
5. Drops on a Penny Lab
In this physics lab, we will be exploring a property of water known as surface tension. We will observe and study this property by determining how many drops of water will fit on a penny.
6. Doppler Effect Lab
In this physics lab, we'll be studying the effects of the Doppler effect. Here, you'll gain a greater knowledge of what the Doppler effect is and how it affects the frequency of waves, as well as how you perceive sound waves specifically.
7. Heat Transfer Lab
In this experiment we'll be examining the thermal conductivity of different metals. By examining the rate of heat transfer we'll be able to identify thermal insulators and thermal conductors.
8. Newton's First Law of Motion Experiment
In this experiment, you'll be testing how mass affects inertia based on Newton's first law of motion. In this lab, you'll be demonstrating this relationship by dropping an egg into a glass of water.
9. Newton's Third Law of Motion Experiment
In this experiment, you'll be studying Newton's third law of motion and how it applies to rocket propulsion. Using a balloon as a model of a rocket, you'll be able to understand how action-reaction pairs cause rockets to travel through the atmosphere to the moon.
10. Projectile Motion Experiment
In this experiment, you will learn how to create your own projectile motion experiment in order to calculate initial velocity of a horizontally launched projectile and the distance traveled.
11. Which Material is the Best Heat Insulator? - Science Experiment
In this experiment, we'll be testing different materials to find the best heat insulator. Once you're done with the experiment, you'll understand why certain materials hold heat better than others.
12. Sink or Float Science Experiment
This physics experiment can be used to learn more about the factors involved with buoyancy. Working on this lab involves determining what causes objects to float or sink.
13. Period of a Pendulum Lab
Pendulums have a lot of interesting physics to discover. Try this pendulum lab, investigating the relationship between the length of a pendulum and its time period.
14. Coffee Filter Air Resistance Lab
In this lab you'll be learning about falling objects in our atmosphere. By studying the terminal velocity of coffee filters with different masses, you'll be able to understand the relationship between mass and air resistance, as well as the time it takes for objects to fall.
15. Electroscope Experiment
In this physics lab you'll be designing an electroscope to detect electric charge. By doing this experiment you'll be able to explain how the principles of induction, conduction, and grounding apply to the electroscope.
16. Ohm's Law Lab
In this lab, we'll describe an experiment you can try at home to demonstrate the principles of Ohm's law. When you're done, you'll be able to explain the relationship between voltage, current and resistance in a circuit.
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