The list of projects below has been compiled from ones done by the author over the years. In the past, equipment and procedures were often crude at best. With the current capability of Vernier software and hardware, the explorations below can often be conducted easily and safely, yielding great results.

The list is very incomplete, but should give teachers some ideas that they can flesh out for their own classes. Another good source of project ideas is the "Extensions" section of the labs in the Vernier lab manuals. With a bit of work, these can be turned into individual, group or class projects.

For over five years, the author served as a Technology Learning Coordinator. One of the duties was to share ideas about Project-Based Learning with half the schools in Palo Alto. As a result, a small web site was set up to communicate what PBL is and to give people a head start. You are invited to peruse the pages that are linked here.

With projects, don't expect to know all the answers in advance. The best ones are often the ones where the results are counterintuitive. For example, when examining chimes, the group reported that their hypothesis was that pipes with larger diameters would have lower frequencies. In fact, they found just the opposite. This led to some real learning on all our part, a good lesson on going into experiments with an open mind.

If you have questions or wish to contribute to this web page, please feel free to write the author. Projects in other subjects will be added as they are developed or communicated to the webmaster. Thanks for understanding!

Physics

PHYSICS OF MUSIC - Study of musical instruments. End result is a multimedia presentation by the group. Full description given.

DOMINOS - What factors influence the speed of a pulse down a row of dominos? In what mathematical manner does each factor influence the speed? A good project will investigate at least three factors, and will attempt to formulate a theory. Don't be afraid to be creative. And don't overlook the video capabilities of Logger Pro.

SOLAR COLLECTOR - Design, build, and test the efficiency of a solar energy collector. [Efficiency relative to what?] Some hard data with careful controls should come out of this project. It would be wise to keep the size and cost of your apparatus under control.

BALLS - How much does wind affect the motion of a ball? Consider golf balls, baseballs, tennis balls, etc.: for a given air speed, how much does the wind affect the path? Relate the forces you discover to actual playing conditions, times, etc. Choose one type of ball, or compare several.

FLUORESCENT SPECTRA - The new fluorescent lamp adapters that take the place of regular light bulbs (example: 18 watts for 75 watts of light) do not give a continuous light spectrum. What is the spectrum and what does it indicate about the way the light works? Does it vary from brand-to-brand, from wattage-to-wattage? Specific and quantitative data expected.

CHIMES - Thinking about chimes, what is the affect of building them out of different materials? What is the affect of mounting them in different ways? What would happen to the frequency if the material were stressed in some manner such as creating constrictions? Quantitative and qualitative data is expected.

TUNING FORKS - Tuning forks can be made from square aluminum tubing. What are the mathematical relationships involved in making these tuning forks to produce specific frequencies? Note that there are two parts - the forks themselves and then the resonant cavity.

FORCE MACHINE - Create a "machine" that repeatably gives non-uniform force to a laboratory cart. Determine the force vs time and force vs distance graphs and relate them to the motion graphs of the cart when an experiment is run.

RECHARGABLE BATTERIES - Develop a procedure for determining the effectiveness of different brands of rechargable batteries. Is one superior to another? Is one type better than another? What about the effectiveness of different charging cycles?

EXPONENTIAL GROWTH - Develop your own powerpoint presentation to explain and demonstrate exponential growth to students. Include work from Dr. Albert Bartlett on population and resources as well as data from one phenomenon or more that illustrates exponential growth in the real world.

PIPE ORGAN - Visit someone who has access to a pipe organ. Collect sound samples as well as photos, then put together instructional materials so that students can learn more about this fascinating device in an interacive way. Suggest the use of video during the data collection.

PHYSICS IN ACTION - devising a presentation about how physics applies in the "real world", including data that was collected with probeware. Full description given.

WINTER OLYMPICS - Developing a presentation on the physics that athletes use to improve their performance. Includes a RUBRIC.

ASTRONOMY - Developing a presentation on some aspect of astronomy. Includes a RUBRIC.

MENLO ATHERTON PROJECTS - A collection of projects that were done in the physics class at Menlo Atherton HS in California.

Updated 4/06/08