Middle School

A classic attention-getter that gives key motion concepts visual meaning. Simple to operate-just place the ball in the spring-loaded cylinder and set the car in motion on a smooth, level surface. A quick pull on the release pin causes the ball to fly...

How does this bird defy the laws of gravity? Because of two well-placed weights at the end of its colorful wings, its center of gravity is located at the very tip of its beak. Spin it on its stand or balance it on a finger. Wingspan of 6 1/2". C...

This balancing act will be a real attention getter! Students will remember the concept of the center of gravity involved in this demonstration. A large water-filled bottle and a wooden board seem to defy gravity as together they balance on the board'...

Demonstrate the conservation of energy with a real classic! Hold a heavy bowling ball pendulum against the tip of your nose. Release the bowling ball without moving your head and allow it to swing through its pendulum arc. The students' shock and fea...

Balance your physical science curriculum with our most popular center of gravity demonstrations-all available in one complete set! Quickly show your students how to locate the center of gravity of an object using a hanging plumb line. Watch the objec...

Discrepant events are powerful teaching opportunities. And the Center of Gravity Paradox is a “dandy.” Everyone knows that a low center of gravity is more stable than a high center of gravity. Your students' thinking caps will have to go on in order ...

Effectively show that the path of an irregularly shaped object, when thrown in the air, is a parabola—just as Newton predicted! Locate the center of mass of the “irregular” foam object by hanging a small weight from three corners of the object. Mark ...

Introduce the concept of center of mass with this inquiry based lesson. First, lay the center of mass bottle on its side. Your students will think this is simple enough. Then, pick up the bottle and secretly allow the counterweight inside the bottle ...

Students experience the effects of inertia every day—riding in a car, playing sports, even picking up their backpacks. Present a more dramatic demonstration of Newton’s law of inertia by safely and simultaneously dropping three eggs into beakers of w...

Here's a paradox-a device that remains balanced when a heavy plastic tube dangles from one end while being supported at the opposite end by a single fingertip. Remove the tube and the device falls. How can this be? It's center of gravity! This simple...

Objects fall with the same acceleration-don't they? Watch and compare the falling acceleration rate of a feather and a guinea (coin) with air resistance and in a vacuum using this clear acrylic demonstration tube. The results are unforgettable! The s...

In the blink of an eye, illustrate important concepts such as torque, acceleration and center of mass with this discrepant event demonstration. A stick with a cup near one end and a hinge at the other is propped at an angle with a support rod. A ball...

Dual-purpose, heavy-duty zinc ball can double as a pendulum bob or as the key element in a dramatic inertia demonstration. Use one of the provided eyelets, attach a string, suspend the bob, and you have a large demonstration pendulum. Attach another...

Demonstrate Newton's First Law of Motion-a body at rest tends to remain at rest. When the metal spring bar is snapped, the cardboard square is shot through the air while the metal ball remains in place on the stand.

Imagine this theoretical problem-you try to push a block on a horizontal, frictionless surface in a region of space that is free from gravity. It will still require some effort to move the block, i.e., change its motion. It is the mass of the block a...

Will a ball traveling twice as fast as another ball of the same mass really have four times the kinetic energy? Demonstrate the relationship between speed and kinetic energy by dropping a ball from two different heights onto a bed of soft clay. For t...

Effectively demonstrate the conservation of energy as potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. How high must the ball begin on the track in order to make it all the way around the loop? An excellent demonstration to begin a discussion about...

Amazing! A slow-moving ball bearing collides with a magnet-ball bearing system, knocking away the last ball in the series, obeying the conservation of momentum. One problem-the knocked-away ball appears to shoot at nearly three times the original spe...

Visibly demonstrate the parabolic path of a projectile with this simple model. Use the model to illustrate many concepts in dynamics. Small weights hang at different distances below a meter stick to show how the location of an object changes every 0....

Which collision imparts more momentum—an object that hits a block of wood and sticks to it, or an object that bounces straight off? The answer will knock over one of the blocks, not to mention your students! This simple but effective demonstration us...

This classic demonstrator is perfect for illustrating Newton's laws of motion and the conservation of momentum. The large swinging balls can be manually aligned to produce nearly perfect elastic collisions. High-quality wooden construction will last ...

Demonstrate that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Lift and drop one ball to see one ball pop out from the other side. Lift two balls and two pop out. Leave this popular “toy” on your desk for a school year of enjoyment and le...

Easy to set up, repeatable results, unbreakable. These are the qualities you need in an apparatus for your projectile motion experiments. This all-metal launcher can be clamped to any lab table, at any angle from -15º to 90º, in a matter of seconds. ...

Clearly convince your students that a projectile follows a parabolic path! Launch a ball bearing using the unique launching mechanism, and watch the ball skim the surface of the track which is in the shape of a parabola. Connect the optional PSworks ...

Drive home the principle of action-reaction with the Rocket Car! A spring-loaded tube fires steel bearings in one direction, causing the car to be propelled in the opposite direction. How will the number of discharged bearings affect how far the Rock...

An ingenious and entertaining way to demonstrate Newton's second law of motion. Have students predict which ball will hit the floor first. Then have them close their eyes and listen. Much to their surprise both balls hit the floor at precisely the sa...

You have to do this experiment in your physical science class to dispel the most common myth about falling objects and gravity. Re-create Galileo’s legendary Leaning Tower of Pisa experiment with the unique gravity-drop apparatus. According to legend...

A classic! A vivid demonstration of Newton's second law of motion that students will never forget. Aim a stun dart directly at a monkey sitting in a tree. The monkey jumps from the tree branch just as the dart is released. Will the dart hit the falli...

Finally! A demonstration that conclusively shows that frictional forces are independent of the contact area. The uniquely designed base has a wedge shaved out to provide a continuously changing surface area. As the sled is pulled along the base, the ...