AP/IB/Honors Physics Activity Browse

Search for activities specifically designed for introductory college level physics courses. Refine this search by either clicking on the terms in boxes to the right or typing a term into the search box below. Activities include a description, background information, and necessary student documents.


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Results 1 - 20 of 158 matches

Unit 3: Codorus Creek case study: Measuring and interpreting seismic refraction data part of IGUaNA:Teaching Materials:Measuring Depth to Bedrock Using Seismic Refraction
This unit presents an applied Case Study example and the associated concepts related to designing a seismic survey and analyzing the data. Parts of the instrument are discussed and practical experience simulating ...

Unit 1: Exploring Harrier Meadow, an Urban Wetland System part of IGUaNA:Teaching Materials:Evaluating the Health of an Urban Wetland Using Electrical Resistivity
Students will conduct a virtual exploration of Harrier Meadow, a saltmarsh in the New Jersey Meadowlands. They will identify its vulnerability to pollution, its tidal connection to the Hackensack Estuary and the ...

Unit 4: The Magic of Geophysical Inversion part of IGUaNA:Teaching Materials:Evaluating the Health of an Urban Wetland Using Electrical Resistivity
This unit introduces the student to the concept of geophysical inversion, which is the process of estimating the geophysical properties of the subsurface from the geophysical observations. The basic mechanics of ...

Unit 3: Field Geophysical Measurements part of IGUaNA:Teaching Materials:Evaluating the Health of an Urban Wetland Using Electrical Resistivity
Near surface geophysical measurements are performed by moving sensors across the Earth's surface. Active geophysical sensors transmit a signal into the Earth and record a returned signal that contains ...

Unit 5: Integrated Geophysical Interpretation and Comparison with Ground Truthing part of IGUaNA:Teaching Materials:Evaluating the Health of an Urban Wetland Using Electrical Resistivity
In this unit, students explore spatial associations between the three-dimensional electromagnetic (EM) conductivity inversions and the visible patterns of Salicornia (Pickleweed) introduced in Unit 1, Exploring ...

Unit 2: Geophysical Properties of the Subsurface part of IGUaNA:Teaching Materials:Evaluating the Health of an Urban Wetland Using Electrical Resistivity
Archie (1950) defined the term petrophysics to describe the study of the physics of rocks, particularly with respect to the fluids they contain. Although originally focused on geophysical exploration, petrophysics ...

Virtual Pendulum Experiments & Mechanical Oscillations part of Teaching Computation with MATLAB:MATLAB Workshop October 2021:Activities
The pendulum motion is one of the first encounters with the concept of a harmonic oscillator. This activity seeks to complement a traditional, rigorous, theoretical approach with a rigorous numerical model. It ...

1. Electricity, Work, and Power part of Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability
This module is designed to prepare students to better understand the other modules in the course. It is a review of basic high school-level physics, reminding students of the fundamentals of energy, work, power, ...

Unit 1: Data Set Analysis part of Mapping the Environment with Sensory Perception
In this unit, students will be introduced to different data types used in the geosciences and other disciplines to understand environmental problems. The instructor will discuss the difference between qualitative ...

Unit 4: The Water Wars of Cochabamba, Bolivia part of Environmental Justice and Freshwater Resources - Spanish
In this unit, students explore water privatization and freshwater access issues within the geophysical and cultural context of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Students identify topographical features that create rain shadows ...

Unit 3: Rivers and Water Diversion part of Environmental Justice and Freshwater Resources - Spanish
In this unit students will explore surface water and its relationship to the water cycle via watersheds and drainage divides. These topics will inform their analysis of the social and environmental impacts of the ...

Groundwater Potentiometric Surface Mapping part of E-STEM:Field Course:ESTEM-PD Activities
In this exercise, students map the elevation of the water table in the Mammoth Groundwater Basin using water levels measured in Mammoth County Water District monitoring wells.

Field Presentation part of E-STEM:Field Course:ESTEM-PD Activities
During the E-STEM Field Course, each student was responsible for a field presentation related to a geology, geomorphology, hydrology, and/or ecology topic specific to the Sierras or Owens Valley. Depending on the ...

Intro to Image Processing with MATLAB part of Teaching Computation with MATLAB:MATLAB Workshop 2020:Activities
This short project introduces students to image processing with MATLAB including importing images from the web, color transformations, circle finding, and edge finding. These techniques are broadly applicable in ...

Unit 1: Introducing shallow seismology to explore our subsurface environment part of IGUaNA:Teaching Materials:Measuring Depth to Bedrock Using Seismic Refraction
This introductory unit is designed to provide stand-alone introduction to geophysical imaging of the shallow subsurface, motivate students to become invested in the topic, provide career context for these ...

Cool Roof part of Teaching Computation with MATLAB:MATLAB Workshop 2018:Activities
This project is a hands-on, open-ended, collaborative assessment of students' abilities to collect numerical data, and develop mathematical models of naturally occurring phenomena. Students design physical ...

Physics: Permafrost part of PENGUIN:PENGUIN Modules
Students learn what permafrost is, the implications of permafrost thawing due to climate change, and how to calculate heat diffusion through permafrost. Student activities include watching a video about permafrost, ...

Thermodynamics: Sea ice melt part of PENGUIN:PENGUIN Modules
Students learn about thermodynamics topics through calculation of the amount of heat required to melt Arctic sea ice. They start by watching an online animation of changing polar ice with time. They next download ...

Scaling sizes of sports field part of Teaching Computation with MATLAB:MATLAB Workshop 2020:Activities
This is a MATLAB live script that guides students to learn about the kinematics of thrown balls in various sports. It helps the students learn about simple numerical methods to solve differential equations, as well ...

Evaluating the Health of an Urban Wetland Using Electrical Resistivity part of IGUaNA:Teaching Materials:Evaluating the Health of an Urban Wetland Using Electrical Resistivity
This module introduces students to the fundamental principles and uses of electrical resistivity, with a focus on an environmental application. Students explore the characteristics and environmental setting of ...