Physics Challenges
Looking to "challenge" your students with a project that is a little more than answering some homework problems or completing an experiment? Well, this just might be the place for you! In this section, I have placed all the various challenges that I have created over the years...I know that I have more, but I can not find them or they are not updated. Email me and I will see what I can come up with if you are looking for something different than what I have listed.
I really have enjoyed these challenges, just like the contests...getting your students doing physics is half the battle. And, when they start actually working on these projects it is awesome just to sit back and listen and watch. Your students will be talking physics and collaborating and working much harder on these projects than they ever would on a homework problem. I always ask my students to take a photograph or submit a video capturing the moment when the project works for the first time...it is priceless! The shouts of joy, the dancing and laughing, and sheer happiness are second to none. As I mention to my students, you just can not get those feelings when you complete an essay that you can when your machine works for the first time. And, the funny thing is, they agree with me...there is just something about physics.
The Great Potato Chip Challenge I have tried this a couple of times with varying degrees of success. It is a pretty easy challenge for your students to complete and does not require the same amount of time or effort as some of the other challenges. I now use this as an extra credit project at the end of the year.
Look Out Below! Parachute Challenge Since we have to walk all the way to the football field now to get elevation, I made this challenge a little more involved. Could be done without all the calculations and simply is a function of drop time...then, of course, it becomes a contest and would go in the other section of the site. Hard to get this to work on a windy day, but it is a lot of fun to watch the students try to get their data and it is always fun to go outside.
Build Your Own Roller Coaster One of my first favorites...building a roller coaster! Pretty simple challenge, but all kinds of creative solutions. The more realisitc the design, the more points the students earn...pretty simple. Since, this is not that difficult for a group to successfully complete there is a little more expected from the written work that each group must complete.
Rube Goldberg Machine This is my new favorite challenge! Much like the roller coaster, only harder. I love showing my students videos and pictures of machines from years gone by...watching their faces is priceless. You want me to do what, with what and it has to do work, too? Oh, they do get very creative and innovative...I included a video of one of those awesome moments of success above...this is the reason why I do these projects.
Engineering With Solar Energy Back when I was teaching a renewable energy unit, I created this challenge to see how much my students could learn about and then implement the variety of uses of solar energy. I have not used this in a while, but I remember I did receive a lot of solar cookers and we ate some pretty good hot dogs!
Create Your Own Physics Video This is one of my favorite challenges (other than the many hours that it takes to watch and grade the videos). But, it is time well spent! After an entire year of watching YouTube clips and TV shows in class, I figured that it was time to see what my students could come up with. I do think it is also important to give your students to express themselves in as many ways as possible. Not every student is happy typing into a TI or a laptop or playing with carts, so here is a chance for them to show their creativity in another way. I have had some very interesting projects over the years...we watch them all at the end of the year as a way to bring the class to a happy end. There are plenty of examples of student created physics videos on YouTube for your students to watch before they head off to make their own.
Heat Engine Developed this one for my AP Physics 2 students after I overheard them discussing Stirling engines. What better way to get them to learn Thermodynamics than to make their own device!
Electric Cars Another new project that I created for my AP Physics 2 students. They have really enjoyed the projects and I am always impressed with how creative they are! Remote controls removed from old toys, apps with bluetooth, and creative use of solar cells...lots of fun!
Stomp Rockets This is a tough one and costs a little money. Getting the students to "calibrate" the launch of the stomp rocket can be challenging. Lots of fun for the students...indoor or outdoor depending on your school or time of year.
Laser Golf Get ready for some fun and frustration! May take some students many many tries to get this to work. Up to you how you decide to run this or grade it. I allow my students to keep trying until the marking period ends. The joy of when it works is priceless!
Buggy Shooting Shout out to a friend in Vancouver for this idea! Tried to be too creative with the presentation of the project, but the assignment worked reasonably well. I used the tiles on the floor to determine the "miss" distance.
Muzzle Velocity of a NERF Gun How many different ways can a student determine the speed of a NERF dart? Well, at the end of my mechanics unit that is exactly what I ask them to find out!