Welcome to The Laboratory!
Science is different than other subjects. It is not just the subject of science that is different; the entire process of doing science is different. The means by which knowledge is acquired is different in science than it is in history or mathematics or poetry or ... . Science is different because the answers to scientific questions are not found in a textbook or through pondering high and lofty thoughts. Indeed, scientists ponder and hopefully think high and lofty thoughts; and indeed students in science class will find answers in a textbook. But the basis of what scientists believe and why they believe it is not the result of mere thinking or reading in a textbook. The basis of what scientists believe is the result of the careful collection and analysis of laboratory evidence. In any physics class, the differentness of science will be most evident when it comes time for lab.
In physics class, lab is central. Integral. Sacred. More than a mere place in the back of the classroom, the laboratory is the place where physics students do physics. It is in the laboratory that physics students learn to practice the activities of scientists - asking questions, performing procedures, collecting data, analyzing data, answering questions, and thinking of new questions to explore. The lab ideas and associated pages in The Laboratory section of this web site are designed to help teachers improve their lab programs by adopting labs with a purpose. There are over 150 lab ideas presented here - but their presentation is much different than the traditional presentation of a lab. The traditional lab comes with a lengthy procedure which dominates the landscape - both the landscape of the distributed paper as well as the landscape of the student mind. The Laboratory attempts to change all this by presenting students with a Purpose, and primarily a Purpose. In the pages at The Laboratory, you will find labs with a purpose.
The lab description pages which are linked to below describe the Question and the Purpose of each lab and provide a short description of what should be included in the student lab report. You will hardly ever find a procedure, and very few data tables. The multitude of other pages found at The Laboratory are designed to help teachers use this section of the website (or at least parts of it) effectively in their classroom. Teachers will find prescribed methods of use, a short philosophical background, extensive teacher guides for every lab, grading rubrics, auxiliary items which can be provided to assist students in the completing of their lab work, and information about using lab notebooks. And to make it as easy as possible to use the labs in the classroom, much of the information is provided to teachers as PDF and Microsoft Word downloads. Once downloaded, the information can be edited, altered, augmented and customized to reflect the teacher's personal style and the unique needs of the students in their classrooms.
The following pages are recommended reading for teachers interested in using this section of the web site.
Quick Links to Lab Descriptions:
One Dimensional Kinematics
|
Title of Lab |
Lab Description |
|
Speedometer Lab |
html |
|
Speedometer Cubed Lab |
html |
|
Diagramming Motion Lab |
html |
|
Position-Time Graphs Lab |
html |
|
Interpreting the Slope Lab |
html |
|
Velocity-Time Graphs Lab |
html |
|
Match That Graph Lab |
html |
|
Two-Stage Rocket Lab |
html |
|
Free Fall Lab |
html |
|
Dune Buggy Challenge Lab |
html |
Back to Top
Newton's Laws
|
Title of Lab |
Lab Description |
|
Pass the Water Lab |
html |
|
Galileo for a Day Lab |
html |
|
Wait! Hmmm. Gee. Lab |
html |
|
F-m-a Lab |
html |
|
Coffee Filter Skydiver Lab |
html |
|
From a Feather to an Elephant Lab |
html |
|
Falling Body Spreadsheet Study |
html |
|
Friction Lab |
html |
|
Mu Shoe Physics Lab |
html |
|
Breaking Strength Lab |
html |
|
Two-Body Lab |
html |
|
Ut Tensio, Sic Vis Lab |
html |
|
Normal Force-o-meter Lab |
html |
Back to Top
Vectors and Projectiles
|
Title of Lab |
Lab Description |
|
Map Lab |
html |
|
As the Crow Flies Lab |
html |
|
Where Am I? Lab |
html |
|
Road Trip Lab |
html |
|
Crossing the River Lab |
html |
|
Basketball Analysis Lab |
html |
|
Projectile Simulation Lab |
html |
|
Projectile Problem-Solving Lab |
html |
|
Projectile Problem-Solving II Lab |
html |
|
Launcher Speed Lab |
html |
|
Maximum Range Lab |
html |
|
Hit the Target Lab |
html |
Back to Top
Vectors and Forces
|
Title of Lab |
Lab Description |
|
It's a Breeze Lab |
html |
|
Getting Hung Up by Tension Lab |
html |
|
Sign Hanging Lab |
html |
|
Maximum Load Lab |
html |
|
Science Friction Adventure Lab |
html |
|
Inclined Plane Lab |
html |
|
On a Roll Challenge Lab |
html |
|
Modified Atwood's Machine Lab |
html |
Back to Top
Momentum and Collisions
|
Title of Lab |
Lab Description |
|
Being Impulsive About Momentum Change Lab |
html |
|
Balloon Toss Lab |
html |
|
Rebounding versus Sticking Lab |
html |
|
Before and After Lab |
html |
|
Action-Reaction Lab |
html |
|
Sand Balloon Lab |
html |
|
Inelastic Collision Analysis Lab |
html |
|
Elastic Collision Analysis Lab |
html |
|
What's Cooking? Lab |
html |
|
Two-Dimensional Collision Lab |
html |
Back to Top
Work and Energy
|
Title of Lab |
Lab Description |
|
It's All Uphill Lab |
html |
|
It's All Uphill - The Sequel Lab |
html |
|
Powerhouse Lab |
html |
|
Marble Energy Lab |
html |
|
Marble Energy II Lab |
html |
|
Work-Kinetic Energy Lab |
html |
|
Energy on an Incline Lab |
html |
|
Energy of a Pendulum Lab |
html |
|
Spring Energy Lab |
html |
|
Elastic Cord Spreadsheet Study |
html |
|
Stopping Distance Lab |
html |
|
All Work and No Play Lab |
html |
Back to Top
Circular Motion and Satellite Motion
|
Title of Lab |
Lab Description |
|
Making the Turn Lab |
html |
|
Loop the Loop Lab |
html |
|
Race Track Lab |
html |
|
The Great Mass Attraction Simulation |
html |
|
Solar System Sports Spreadsheet Study |
html |
|
Satellite Motion Simulation |
html |
|
The Law of Harmonies Analysis |
html |
|
Jupiter's Moons Analysis |
html |
|
The Mass of Saturn Analysis |
html |
|
The Mini Drop Lab |
html |
Back to Top
Static Electricity
|
Title of Lab |
Lab Description |
|
Action at a Distance Lab |
html |
|
Sticky Tape Experiments Lab |
html |
|
Pop Can Induction Lab |
html |
|
Charging by Induction Lab |
html |
|
Electric Field Simulation |
html |
|
Coulomb's Law Lab |
html |
|
Electric Field Lines Lab |
html |
Back to Top
Electric Circuits
|
Title of Lab |
Lab Description |
|
Sparky the Electrician Lab |
html |
|
First to Light Lab |
html |
|
Greatest Current Lab |
html |
|
Voltage-Current-Resistance Lab |
html |
|
Round vs. Oblong – the Greatest Resistance? Lab |
html |
|
Series versus Parallel Lab |
html |
|
Comparing Voltage Drops and Currents in Series Lab |
html |
|
Bulbs in Series Circuits Lab |
html |
|
Comparing Voltage Drops and Currents in Parallel Lab |
html |
|
Bulbs in Parallel Circuits Lab |
html |
|
Combination Circuits Lab |
html |
|
Energy Audit Activity |
html |
Back to Top
Wave Basics
|
Title of Lab |
Lab Description |
|
A Wiggle in Time Lab |
html |
|
Period of a Pendulum Lab |
html |
|
A Wiggle in Time and Space Lab |
html |
|
Wave Motion Lab |
html |
|
Speed of a Wave Lab |
html |
|
Vibrating Spring Lab |
html |
|
Nodes and Antinodes Lab |
html |
|
Harmonic Frequencies Lab |
html |
|
Wave Behavior Demonstration Lab |
html |
Back to Top
Sound and Music
|
Title of Lab |
Lab Description |
|
Listen Up! Lab |
html |
|
Mach 1 Lab |
html |
|
Natural Frequency and Standing Waves Lab |
html |
|
Closed End Air Column Lab |
html |
|
Open End Air Column Lab |
html |
|
Guitar String Lab |
html |
|
Music in a Bottle Lab |
html |
|
Musical Intervals Lab |
html |
|
Musical Scales Lab |
html |
|
Timbre Lab |
html |
|
Who Can Hear Monte Tone? Lab |
html |
Back to Top
Light and Color
|
Title of Lab |
Lab Description |
|
Ripple Tank Lab |
html |
|
Two-Point Source Analysis Lab |
html |
|
Young's Experiment Lab |
html |
|
Getting it Right With Light Lab |
html |
|
Diluted by Distance Lab |
html |
|
Color Addition Lab |
html |
|
Taking Away from RGB Lab |
html |
|
Painting with CMY Lab |
html |
|
Filtering Away Lab |
html |
Back to Top
Reflection and Mirrors
|
Title of Lab |
Lab Description |
|
Reflection Lab |
html |
|
Plane Mirror Image Lab |
html |
|
Rough versus Smooth Lab |
html |
|
What Portion ...? Lab |
html |
|
Right Angle Mirror Lab |
html |
|
Improving Your Image Lab |
html |
|
Infinity Derivation |
html |
|
Exploring Curved Mirrors Lab |
html |
|
Finding Smiley Lab |
html |
|
Magnification Ratio Lab |
html |
|
Mirror Equation Derivation |
html |
Back to Top
Refraction and Lenses
|
Title of Lab |
Lab Description |
|
Refraction Action Lab |
html |
|
Direction of Bending Lab |
html |
|
Least Time Principle Lab |
html |
|
How Much? Lab |
html |
|
The Unknown n Lab |
html |
|
R and R Lab |
html |
|
A Critical Lab |
html |
|
Exploring Lenses Lab |
html |
|
The L•O•S•T Art of Image Description Lab |
html |
|
The Lens Equation Lab |
html |
Back to Top