This PhET Kepler’s Laws online physics lab will guide your students through an exploration of Kepler’s three laws of planetary motion. First, they will learn about the characteristics of an ellipse. Next, by manipulating the variables and observing the real-time effects on planetary motion, students will investigate the elliptical orbits of planets and the relationship between orbital period, orbital speed, gravitational strength and the planet’s distance from the sun. Students will collect and use data to reinforce key concepts and develop a mathematical understanding of these important laws of motion. They will calculate orbital eccentricity and investigate the graphical relationship between the orbital period and the length of a planet’s semi-major axis. Included in this product are: a getting started teachers guide. three pages of notes describing Kepler’s laws. the six page PhET online lab activity. solutions for the lab worksheets. PhET Interactive Simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET online simulations are available from their website: phet.colorado.edu. The simulations can be done in the classroom or during distance learning.

This PhET Rutherford Scattering online physics lab provides an excellent opportunity for your students to observe, describe and compare the behavior of alpha particles as they travel though the Plum Pudding and Rutherford models of the atom. This simulation will enable your students to “see” alpha particles and their interactions with each of the atomic models presented in the simulation. After completing this lab your students should be able to: a) describe the difference between the Plum Pudding and the Rutherford models of the atom. b) describe how the alpha particle energy and the composition of the nucleus of an atom affect the amount of deflection of the alpha particles as they travel through the gold foil. c) explain the properties of the nucleus of an atom that Rutherford was able to deduce from the results of his experiments. Included in this product are: a getting started teachers guide. the PhET lab activity worksheets. solutions for the lab worksheets. PhET Interactive Simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET online simulations are available from their website: phet.colorado.edu. The simulations can be done in the classroom or during distance learning.

Using another one of the excellent simulations from PhET Interactive Simulations, your students will be able to investigate the properties of longitudinal and transverse waves. After completing this lab students should be able to: a) make waves with water, sounds and light and see how they are related, b) discuss wave properties using the appropriate terms, c) explain how changing the frequency and amplitude affects the characteristics of a wave and d) determine a method to measure and calculate the speed of a wave. This PhET online lab contains three separate sections, one for each of the three types of waves: water, sound and light. The learning objectives for each section are different. The water waves section focuses on becoming familiar with the basic characteristics of transverse waves and the terms we use to describe waves such as wavelength, amplitude, crest, trough, frequency and period. Students learn how changing the frequency and amplitude affects wavelength and other characteristics of the waves. The sound waves section looks at how a speaker creates a longitudinal wave, how energy is transferred through a medium by this type of wave, the relationship between the frequency and period of a wave and how to calculate wave speed. In the light waves section students will measure the wavelength and period of waves of different colors of light and then use this information to calculate the frequency of light waves and the speed of light. They should then be able to summarize the relationships between the period, frequency and wavelength of light waves. You may want students to become familiar with the basic terms used to describe waves and their motion before they begin the simulation. Therefore, I have included a worksheet that students can complete before they get started. Students could also complete this worksheet during or after the simulation. For this activity your students will use one of the simulations from PhET Interactive Simulations. The simulation is called Waves Intro (HTML5). PhET simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website.

After completing this Color Vision PhET online physics lab your students will be able to: (1) describe what happens to white light when it passes through a color filter, (2) explain why filters are subtractive, (3) explain how white light is created, (4) state the three primary additive colors of light, (5) state the three secondary additive colors of light and explain how they are created, and (6) explain how other colors are created. This online lab activity uses the Color Vision HTML5 simulation from PhET Interactive Simulations. The simulation can be run from most cellphones, tablets and computers. There is nothing to download or install. PhET simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website: PhET Interactive Simulations. This product includes: (1) Three pages of notes on the theory of color vision. (2) The lab activity worksheets. (3) An answer key for the worksheets.

Your students will have fun combining food and chemistry. But will they have enough of each ingredient to make the number of sandwiches they want? Which one of the ingredients will run out first and which will be left over? In this simulation your students will get to make their own sandwiches while learning about reactants, products and leftovers. They will use one of the excellent online simulations from PhET Interactive Simulations. The simulation is called Reactants, Products and Leftovers (HTML5). Because it is an HTML5 simulation it will run right in the browser of your computer or tablet. Nothing to download or install. This online guided inquiry lab is geared towards high school students. PhET Interactive Simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website. This PhET online simulation can be done in the classroom or during distance learning.

Isotopes, atomic mass, percent abundance and average atomic mass can be very confusing concepts for students at all levels. This online inquiry lab will guide your students through these topics as they develop an in depth understanding of these concepts. This product is designed for use with the Isotopes and Atomic Mass HTML5 simulation from PhET Interactive Simulations. In this online lab your students will use information about the subatomic particles in an element’s nucleus and the element’s naturally occurring percent abundance in order to: (1) define the term isotope. (2) determine the identity of an atom. (3) calculate an element’s average atomic mass. (4) predict how an element’s average atomic mass will change if the percent abundance of its isotope changes. This online guided inquiry lab is geared towards high school and lower university students. PhET Interactive Simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website. This PhET online simulation can be done in the classroom or during distance learning. This product includes: (1) The lab activity worksheets. (2) An answer key for the worksheets. (3) Two pages of notes covering atomic structure and isotopes. (4) A Getting Started Teachers Guide explaining the learning goals of the online lab and the important points of the simulation that you should point out before students begin their investigations into isotopes and atomic mass.

Using the Collisions PhET online simulation your students will (1) apply the laws of conservation of energy and momentum to characterize the difference between elastic and inelastic collisions, (2) determine the changes in kinetic energy when energy is not conserved, (3) explain why energy is not conserved in some collisions and (4) draw before and after pictures of collisions. This online lab activity uses the Collisions HTML5 simulation from PhET Interactive Simulations. The simulation can be run from most cellphones, tablets and computers. There is nothing to download or install. PhET simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website: PhET interactive Simulations. This product includes: (1) The lab activity worksheets. (2) An answer key for the worksheets.

This product contains two separate physics lab activities, Resistance and Ohm’s Law, to be completed with two different PhET Interactive Simulations. The lab activities focus on the qualitative relationships governing two physical phenomena by using visual representations to show the factors that affect the resistance and current. A minimum amount of math is needed to answer the included questions. Your students will have fun playing with the simulation sliders and seeing what happens. In the first activity, your students will use the simulation called Resistance in a Wire HTML5. The learning goals for this activity are: (1) to know the definition of the terms resistance and resistivity. (2) to discover how resistivity relates to the resistance of a wire. (3) to discover the relationship between the length of a wire and its resistance. (4) to discover the relationship between the cross-sectional area of a wire and its resistance. In the second activity, your students will use the simulation called Ohm’s Law HTML5. The learning goals for this activity are: (1) to discover the relationship between the voltage in an electric circuit and the current through the circuit. (2) to discover the relationship between the resistance of an electric circuit and the current through the circuit. (3) to discover the relationship between the voltage in an electric circuit and the resistance of a circuit. These online guided inquiry labs are geared towards middle school and high school students. These are HTML5 web-based simulations that will run right in your web browser. Nothing to download or install. PhET Interactive Simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website. This PhET online simulation can be done in the classroom or during distance learning. This product includes: (1) The lab activity worksheets. (2) An answer key for the worksheets. (3) Two pages of notes covering resistance and Ohm’s law. (4) A Getting Started Teachers Guide explaining the learning goals of the online lab and the important points of the simulation that you should point out before students begin their investigations into resistance and Ohm’s law.

In this guided inquiry two part lab your students will investigate molecules and how they are built. This activity is designed for use with the Build a Molecule HTML5 simulation from PhET Interactive Simulations. The link for the simulation can be found inside the resource. The learning goals for this activity are: (1) Students will be able to explain the difference between an atom and a molecule. (2) Students will be able to explain the difference between an element and a compound. (3) Students will be able to explain the difference between the coefficient and the subscript in a chemical formula. (4) Build molecules from their molecular and structural formulas. (5) Write the molecular formula of a compound from its structural formula. This lab is geared towards middle to lower high school students. With a little up front guidance your students will be able to complete this activity on their own and learn what molecules are and how they are built. PhET Interactive Simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website. This PhET online simulation can be done in the classroom or during distance learning. This product includes: (1) The lab activity worksheets. (2) An answer key for the worksheets. (3) Two pages of notes covering atoms, molecules, elements, compounds and chemical formulas. (4) A Getting Started Teachers Guide explaining the learning goals of the online lab and the important points of the simulation that you should point out before students begin their investigations into molecules and how they are built.

In this guided inquiry online lab your students will investigate the three states of matter: solids, liquids and gases. By the end of this online lab they will be able to (1) describe the characteristics of the three states of matter, (2) compare the motion of the particles in the three different phases, (3) explain how to change the state of a material and be able to name the six different phase changes (4) understand that different substances have different melting and boiling temperatures and (5) state the relationship between the pressure, temperature, volume and amount of gas in a container. You will use one of the simulations from PhET Interactive Simulations. The simulation is called States of Matter: Basics (HTML5). The link for the simulation can be found inside the resource. All of our PhET Online Labs can be purchased as a money saving bundle. PhET Interactive Simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website: PhET Interactive Simulations. This PhET online simulation can be done in the classroom or during distance learning. This product includes: (1) The lab activity worksheets. (2) An answer key for the worksheets. (3) Notes presenting a full explanation states of matter.

In this guided inquiry two part lab your students will investigate how an image is formed by four different optical instruments: a convex lens, a concave lens, a convex mirror and a concave mirror. In Part 1 students will investigate (1) how the characteristics of the image change as the object is brought closer to each of the lenses and mirrors, (2) the similarities and differences in image formation for each of the lenses and mirrors and (3) the meaning of the points F and 2F for the convex lenses and concave mirrors. In Part 2 students will draw the ray diagrams for each of the lenses and mirrors and take a more detailed look at the image characteristics for each object location. By the end of Part 2, if they are given the object location they will be able to state (1) the image location relative to points F and 2F, (2) the size of the image relative to the object size, (3) the image orientation and (4) the image type. For this online lab activity your students will use one of the simulations from PhET Interactive Simulations. The simulation is called Geometric Optics (HTML5). The link for the simulation can be found inside the resource. PhET Interactive Simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website: PhET Interactive Simulations. This PhET online simulation can be done in the classroom or during distance learning. This product includes: (1) The lab activity worksheets. (2) An answer key for the worksheets.

In this guided inquiry online lab your students will investigate the physical properties of a material that determine its density. By the end of this online lab your students will be able to (1) determine the volume of an object using the displacement method, (2) calculate the density of an object, (3) explain how changing the mass or volume of an object affects its density, (4) explain why an object floats or sinks in a liquid and (5) determine the relative density of objects from their masses and volumes. This online lab is intended to be used with the Density (HTML5) Simulation from PhET Interactive Simulations. The link for the simulation can be found inside the resource. PhET Interactive Simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website: PhET Interactive Simulations. This PhET online simulation can be done in the classroom or during distance learning. This product includes: (1) The lab activity worksheets. (2) An answer key for the worksheets. (3) Notes presenting a full explanation of pressure and pressure in liquids.

In this guided inquiry online lab your students will investigate the pressure in fluids: liquids and air. By the end of this online lab they should be able to (1) describe how the pressure in air and water changes as a function of depth, (2) explain how the shape of the liquid container affects pressure, (3) describe all variables that affect pressure and (4) determine the density of an unknown fluid. This online lab is intended to be used with the Under Pressure (HTML5) Simulation from PhET Interactive Simulations. The link for the simulation can be found inside the resource. PhET Interactive Simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website: PhET Interactive Simulations. This PhET online simulation can be done in the classroom or during distance learning. This product includes: (1) The lab activity worksheets. (2) An answer key for the worksheets. (3) Notes presenting a full explanation of pressure and pressure in liquids.

In this guided inquiry online lab your students will investigate the effect of changing the plate separation and plate area on (1) the capacitance of the capacitor, (2) the potential difference between the plates of the capacitor, (3) the charge stored on the plates of the capacitor and (4) the electric field strength between the plates of the capacitor. These relationships will be determined for the case when the capacitor remains connected to the voltage source and for the case when it is no longer connected to the voltage source. This online lab is intended to be used with the Capacitor Lab: Basics (HTML5) Simulation from PhET Interactive Simulations. The link for the simulation can be found inside the resource. PhET Interactive Simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website: hET Interactive Simulations. This PhET online simulation can be done in the classroom or during distance learning. This product includes: (1) The lab activity worksheets. (2) An answer key for the worksheets. (3) Notes presenting a full explanation of capacitors & capacitance.

In this inquiry-based PhET online lab your students will investigate atomic structure and the subatomic particles that make up atoms using the Build an Atom simulation. They will learn the important terms used to describe atoms such as atomic number, mass number and net charge. They will also be introduced to the layout of the periodic table and how to locate elements on it. Students love working with the online simulations from PhET Interactive Simulations. The Build an Atom simulation is easy to use, interactive and gives immediate feedback when students are answering questions to check their understanding of key concepts. PhET simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website: hET Interactive Simulations. This PhET online simulation can be done in the classroom or during distance learning. This product includes: (1) The lab activity worksheets. (2) An answer key for the worksheets. (3) Notes presenting a full explanation of atomic structure.

Students love working with online simulations from PhET Interactive Simulations. They are easy to use, interactive, give reliable results and allow students to easily see the relationships between various physical parameters. In this inquiry-based PhET online lab students will first investigate the relationship between the plate area, the plate separation and the amount of charge stored on the plates of a parallel plate capacitor. Students will then collect data for the amount of charge stored on the plates of the capacitor with respect to the voltage applied across the capacitor. This data will then be graphed and the slope of the line will be calculated to determine the capacitance of the capacitor. Through the summary questions your students will become familiar with the vocabulary used to describe capacitance and capacitors as well as the equation used to calculate capacitance. PhET simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and educational. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website:hET Interactive Simulations. This PhET online simulation can be done in the classroom or during distance learning. This product includes: (1) The lab activity worksheets. (2) An answer key for the worksheets. (3) Notes covering a full description of capacitance and capacitors.

With this PhET online physics lab your students will have fun and learn physics at the same time. Why does the lever tip to the left and when will it tip to the right? The purpose of this activity is for your students to determine what conditions must be met for a first lever to balance. Along the way they will also be introduced to the concept of torque and will be able to answer the following questions: What is torque? What affects the amount of torque an object applies to a lever? How is torque calculated? This online lab is intended to be used with the Balancing Act HTML5 Simulation from PhET Interactive Simulations. The link for the simulation can be found inside the resource. PhET simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website: hET Interactive Simulations. This PhET online simulation can be done in the classroom or during distance learning. This product includes: (1) The lab activity worksheets. (2) An answer key for the worksheets. (3) Notes covering a full description of levers and torque.

This engaging inquiry-based lab activity will guide your students to an understanding of Newton’s law of universal gravitation as they learn what factors affect the force between two masses. This online lab is intended to be used with the Gravity Force Lab: Basics HTML5 Simulation from PhET Interactive Simulations. The link for the simulation can be found inside the resource. In the first activity students will learn that the gravitational force is always attractive. Newton’s law of universal gravitation is an inverse square law similar to Coulomb’s law. The difference is that gravitational forces are always attractive, while electrostatic forces can be attractive or repulsive. In the second activity students will determine the relationship between the force and the mass of the objects. In the third activity students will determine the relationship between the force and the distance between the objects. In the summary questions students will practice what they have learned from the simulation and will use Newton’s law of universal gravitation to calculate the gravitational constant and the magnitude of the force between objects. PhET simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website: hET Interactive Simulations. This PhET online simulation can be done in the classroom or during distance learning. This product includes: (1) The lab activity worksheets. (2) An answer key for the worksheets. (3) Notes covering a full description of Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation.

This engaging inquiry based lab activity will guide your students to an understanding of Coulomb’s law as they learn what factors affect the force between two charged particles. This online lab is intended to be used with the Coulomb’s Law HTML5 Simulation from PhET interactive simulations. The link for the simulation can be found inside the resource. In the first activity students will learn how to determine the direction of the force between two charged particles. In the second activity students will determine the relationship between the force and the amount of charge on the particles. In the third activity students will determine the relationship between the force and the distance between the charged particles. In the summary questions students will practice what they have learned from the simulation and will use the Coulomb’s law equation to calculate coulomb’s constant and the magnitude of the force between two charged particles. PhET simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website: hET Interactive Simulations. This PhET online simulation can be done from the classroom or during distance learning. This product includes: (1) The lab activity worksheets. (2) An answer key for the worksheets. (3) Notes covering a full description of Coulomb’s law.

This fun, engaging, inquiry-based physics lab is a great way to get your students interested in the refraction of light and Snell’s Law. The online lab uses the Bending Light HTML5 simulation from PhET Interactive Simulations. The simulation can be run from most cellphones, tablets and computers. Nothing to download or install. The link for the simulation can be found inside the resource. In the first activity students will learn how to draw ray diagrams for light as it enters, travels through and then exits a material with a greater index of refraction than the surrounding environment. In the second activity students will collect data that they will use to derive the equation that describes the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of refraction when light passes across a boundary between two materials with different indices of refraction, such as water, glass, or air. This is known as Snell’s Law and is used in ray tracing to compute the angles of incidence or refraction, and in experimental optics to find the refractive index of a material. In the final section, they will then use Snell’s Law to calculate the angles and the indices of refraction. PhET simulations incorporate research based, student centered activities that are fun and easy to use. All of the PhET simulations are available from their website: hET Interactive Simulations. This PhET online simulation can be done in the classroom or during distance learning. This product includes: (1) The lab activity worksheets. (2) An answer key for the worksheets. (3) Notes covering a full description of the refraction of light, index of refraction and Snell��s law.