Devon Heath

Students experiment with their own shoes and determine how the coefficient of friction compares in a sneaker vs. other types. They also test to see how the mass of the shoes and the surface it is on influence the coefficient of friction. Masses of various sizes and force meters are required.

This activity introduces the way that eye color is inherited and explains why it isn't as simple as brown eyes being dominant to blue. The pigmentation patterns seen in brown, blue, green, and hazel eyes are examined. Punnett Square and inheritance pattern knowledge would probably be required for the student to understand the lesson.

Students always seem to confuse the fact that a bounced object experiences a larger change in momentum than an object that sticks. This lab asks students to bounce 3 different balls to see how the mass influences the amount of impulse experienced by each ball.

Students will investigate how our decisions influence the genetic expression of our offspring, even when we don't intend them to.

In this activity, students listen to heart sounds and learn about different types of heart murmurs.

Students shoot different elastic bands to determine how the k constant influences the amount of elastic energy available. Using calculations, they determine how elastic energy is converted into kinetic energy when an rubber band is shot.

Much like the classic Sudoku, this puzzle makes students apply their knowledge of cation charges. Looking at the provided compounds, students must figure out how to get a +1, +2, and +3 in every row and column of each 3x3 block. Additionally, no cation of the same element can exist in the same column or row across the 9x9 board. A board is provided with one row and column filled in (to show students how to do it correctly). Then, another sheet is provided for the instructor to cut into cards for

Students practice taking each others blood pressure and investigate why blood pressure would be high or low.

Students will investigate how inheritance of muscle fiber types and angiotensin alleles influences how athletic a person is born.

This activity asks students to drop a ball initially to determine the height from which it was dropped. Using that height, they then throw the ball downwards and find the initial velocity that it was thrown with. Then, they throw the ball upwards and solve for the initial velocity it was thrown with. All three trials can be down off a balcony or in a stairwell, and the students find it fun to drop a ball from high up. It tests their knowledge of the acceleration of gravity, vertical kinematics,

This lab has students utilize their understanding of vertical launches, horizontal launches, and angled launches to summarize what they've learned about projectiles. They use all this information to predict where a projectile will land.

Students will use their knowledge of the coefficient of friction (see other assignment called Mu of the Shoe) to build a better shoe for walking on ice. They are asked to test how surface area influences the stickiness a shoe has, and what materials work best on slick surfaces. Materials like sandpaper, cloth, cardboard, etc. would be useful to allow the students to test different designs.

This series of 'Make Your Own' assignments asks students to create their own scenarios and model the details on a piece of paper. Velocity, Acceleration, Momentum, Impulse, Energy, Projectile Motion, and Electricity are included. In each case, certain things must be included and each student creates their own sheet around a situation they've made up. It allows students to apply their learning to a higher level of understanding as they try to graph, do calculations, or describe what is happening.

This activity and handout investigate the many ways that humans impact the selection of other species. A hands-on portion has students look at how Brewer's Yeast (used for making alcohol) and Baker's Yeast (used for making bread) differ from one another and were selected for these functions. Other real-life examples are presented for the students and ask them to deduce why the selection pattern occurred/makes sense in the modern world.

Students will cook potatoes inthree ways; microwaved, fried in a pan, and boiled. Using the power rating of the different appliances used in the cooking, and the time each one took to cook the potatoes, students will determine what method is most efficient (and the most tasty).

This online activity uses a computer simulation to test how the force, the time it is applied, the mass of an object, and the velocity it travels all relate to one another. The takeaway of the activity is to show the students that impulse and the change in momentum are equal. It also illustrates how measurable values (like mass and velocity) can allow us to determine the force or time in a collision.

Students will bounce a ball and record the bounce to make measurements that can be used to determine how gravitational energy is transformed into other types of energy (kinetic, elastic, and dissipated).

This worksheet asks students to algebraically solve more and more complex physics equations. They don't need to know anything about the variables in the equations, but the exercise shows what they do or don't know about algebra. It helps elucidate where they will have future errors in the math of the course. The equations F = ma, P = E/t, and y=0.5at2 + Vit are used to test their ability to solve for an 'x' variable in different positions in an equation.

This lab has students find situations in their school that display elastic, gravitational (potential), kinetic, and thermal energy. They assign sizes to some variables, choose the appropriate equation for the situation, and solve for a missing variable.

Students will look at the influence that hormones have on hunger, satiety, and digestion. The worksheet references a 60 minutes video on addiction in the brain that is not included but can be found online.