CoolStuff Blog

Walk through an introductory physics lab that allows students to develop a model for the relationship between an object’s kinetic energy and velocity.

This CoolStuff post describes an introductory physics lab that allows students to develop a model of the relationship between an object’s acceleration and its mass. The algebraic equation representing this relationship will be Newton’s 2nd law of motion.

This introductory physics lab helps students separate the concepts of mass and weight and uses experimental data to build a model of the relationship between the two variables.

An easy way to introduce students to some of the different representations of motion is to have them investigate the motion of a Constant Velocity Car.

Electric circuits are an essential topic that covers the conservation of charge, the conservation of energy, the flow of current, and the concept of voltage. Demonstrate the fundamentals of electric circuits with 9 experiments using our Investigating Electrical Circuits Kit.

What happens when two large, Colliding Steel Spheres are smashed together? Newton's Cradle illustrates for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Thus, when one sphere is swung out and released, one is "kicked" out the other side, two...

If you swing a glass of water over your head, you probably expect the water to soak you as the glass goes upside down. However, if the glass is swung fast enough, nothing happens. This is called Centripetal Force. Try...

Aside from Newton’s Cradle and the Faith in Physics pendulum, there are not very many well-known energy and momentum demonstrations. In this CoolStuff Blog post, we set to resolve this and primarily focus on energy because these demonstrations are usually...

This post is a collection of demos that are either original or very rare. They come from the many physics demos that James Lincoln has developed over the years. While there are more than 10 demos in this post, there...

Have you ever struggled to describe Rotational Inertia to your students? Then check out this video and blog, which uses our Rotational Inertia Demonstrator because it is an easy way to demonstrate the concept of rotational inertia.

The Mini Ripple Tank is a great way to address the wave-energy standards and to teach about the properties of waves by showing how water waves behave. Check out this CoolStuff post for refraction, reflection, and diffraction experiments.

Newton’s Principia Mathematica, published in 1687, contains Newton’s three laws of motion. In this post, watch as physics teacher James Lincoln revisits Newton’s laws from within the historical context and from his own original purpose of devising them.