This Planet Really Rocks
This ThinkQuest Junior site contains information and activities about rocks and minerals. Included is information about what a rock is, the major characteristics with examples of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks, the rock cycle, the differences between rocks and minerals, how to identify minerals (color, luster, streak, cleavager, hardness, and specific gravity), and the Mohs Scale. Facts about common minerals and their properties, how rocks and minerals are important, and their uses
Observe an animation showing evidence of the carbon cycle
In this visual resource about the carbon cycle, students are presented with an animation and accompanying text that focus on carbon and plants. The text addresses how plants fit into the larger carbon cycle, including how carbon enters and leaves the biosphere, and it explains what students are viewing in the animation. The animation shows false color images on a flat map of the world. When the viewer clicks on the image (or the play button), the animation plays, and color patterns reveal change
Static Charged Two by Fours
How can you move a wooden two-by-four without touching it? This material is part of a series of hands-on science activities designed to arouse student interest. Here students use static electricity to attract and move a wooden two-by-four. The activity includes a description, a list of science process skills and complex reasoning strategies being used, and a compilation of applicable K-12 national science education standards. Also provided are content topics, a list of necessary supplies, instru
Problems with a Point
A collection of problems designed to help students in grades 6-12 learn new mathematical ideas by building on old ones. Varying in difficulty and approaches, these problems are useful for teachers, students, parents, math clubs, home-schoolers, and others. Problems are classified by topic, time required, suggested technology, required mathematical background, and habits of mind that students develop or use as they work. Synopses of the problems are keyword searchable. Answers and solutions are p
Examine evidence of Earth turning about an axis
Using an animation of the classic pendulum experiment, this resource supplies middle and high school students with evidence of the Earth's rotation on its axis. The introduction explains that although pendulums are known to swing in a fixed path, on Earth their path appears to shift over time. As the animation reveals, it is not the pendulum's swing that changes--it is the Earth beneath the pendulum that moves. The animation contains three screens: two with different views of a pendulum swinging
Nautical Navigation
In this activity, students explore the importance of charts to navigation on bodies of water. Using one worksheet, students learn to read the major map features found on a real nautical chart. Using another worksheet, students draw their own nautical chart using the symbols and identifying information learned.
Stay in Shape
In this activity, students will learn that math is important in navigation and engineering. Ancient land and sea navigators started with the most basic of navigation equations (Speed x Time = Distance). Today, navigational satellites use equations that take into account the relative effects of space and time. However, even these high-tech wonders cannot be built without pure and simple math concepts — basic geometry and trigonometry — that have been used for thousands of years. In this activ
GPS Art
Students design their own logo or picture and use a handheld GPS receiver to map it out. They write out a word or graphic on a field or playground, walk the path, and log GPS data. The results display their "art" on their GPS receiver screen.
Sextant Solutions
The earliest explorers did not have computers or satellites to help them know their exact location. The most accurate tool developed was the sextant to determine latitude and longitude. In this activity, the sextant is introduced and discussed with the class. Students will learn how a sextant can be a reliable tool that is still being used by today’s navigators and how computers can help assure accuracy when measuring angles. Also, this activity will show how computers can be used to understan
Wire Maze
Students will build a wire circuit and pass a paperclip through the maze, trying not to touch the wire. Touching the wire with the paperclip will cause the circuit to close, which will activate the indicator.
Decarteret matches pole vault record at Florida State
The Northeastern women's track & field team recorded 15 top-10 marks, including another record-breaking performance by Jillena Decarteret, amidst stiff competition at this weekend's Florida State Relays in Tallahassee, Fla.
Decarteret tied the school record in the pole vault with a winning performance of 4.06m (13'3.75), beating out 20 others for the title. The sophomore's vault matched Laura Chmielewski's mark set back almost seven years ago on May 8, 2004. Decarteret has continued to make upw
Private hiring keeps up in March
Summary of business headlines: U.S. labor market continues recovery in March; Apollo, Qihoo heat up IPO market.
Designing a Winning Guest Village in the Saguaro National Park
The Challenge Question of the Legacy Cycle draws the student into considering the engineering ingenuity of nature. It will force him to analyze, appreciate and understand the wisdom of these designs as the student team focuses on meeting each of the challenge’s requirements. The student is asked, with his team members, to envision a sustainable design for a future guest village within the Saguaro National Park, outside of Tucson, Arizona. What issues need to be addressed to support the comfort
Searching for Bigfoot and Others Like Him
Cryptids, creatures of questionable existence, are used as a source of data to guide students into the creation of their own GIS data layer in Google Earth. The activity will serve the purpose of a tutorial to teach them how to make data layers with a simple subject. They can then use that skill on other topics such as plastics in their neighborhood.
Where are the Plastics Near Me? (Mapping the Data)
Data collected in the Where are the Plastics Near Me (Field Trip) activity are organized by student groups in a fairly student-led and independent fashion to create a useful and informative Google Earth map. The students will create a map, use that map to analyze the results, adjust the map to include the results of the analysis, and then write a brief summary of their findings. Questions of fate-and-transport of plastics are primarily what are explored. If data was gathered in the field trip bu
What's Wrong with the Coordinates at the North Pole?
Students will complete a self-guided exercise in worksheet format combined with Google Earth that will help them explore practical and observable differences between different projection and coordinate systems. The activity will also increase their skill level at using various features of Google Earth.
Fluid Power Basics
Students learn about the basic fundamental concepts regarding fluid power, which includes both pneumatic, which utilize gas, and hydraulic, which utilize liquid, systems. Both systems contain four basic components: a reservoir, a pump or compressor, a valve, and a cylinder. Using the Portable Fluid Power Demonstrator (PFPD), students learn about the properties of gases and liquids in addition to how forces are transmitted and multiplied within these systems.
Pointing at Maximum Power for PV
Student teams measure voltage and current in order to determine the power output of a photovoltaic (PV) panel. They vary the resistance in a simple circuit connected to the panel to demonstrate the effects on voltage, current, and power output. After collecting data, they calculate power for each resistance setting, creating a graph of current vs. voltage, and indentifying the maximum power point.
Spring Away!
This lab demonstrates Hooke’s Law with the use of springs and masses. The students attempt to determine the proportionality constant, or k-value, for a spring. The students do this by calculating the change in length of the spring as different masses are added to it. The concept of a springs elastic limit is also introduced, and the students must test to makes sure the spring’s elastic limit has not be reached during their tests in the lab. After compiling all of their data, they attempt to
