Physics Internet Scavenger Hunt

Name_________________________________

For each site below, log on to http://sciencespot.net/. Click the Kid Zone graphic to find the Physics links and begin your hunt for information!

Site Name: Amusement Park Physics
1. Which horses on a carousel are moving the fastest: the ones on the inside or the ones on the outside? Explain your choice.


2. Which Law of Motion explains what happens during a ride on the bumper cars? Give an example.


3. Where do riders have a feeling of “weightlessness” on a pendulum-type ride? At what point on the pendulum-type rides do riders feel the highest g-forces?


4. Explain the “weightless water” trick. Hint: Go to the Free Fall section.




5. Out of the 270 million people who visit amusement parks annually, how many require a trip to the emergency room? _________________

Site: Simple Machines
A. List 6 types of simple machines.


B. What is the definition of a compound machine?

Site: Speed Machines
A. How long can the SR-71 operate (at top speed) before it needs refueling? ___________

B. Who devised the unit of power called the horsepower? _________ __________

C. What type of vehicle is the Spirit of America? _______________ What is its top speed? ____________

Site: Rube Goldberg
A. Complete: Rube Goldberg lived from ______ to ______ and was a Pulitzer Prize winning ________________, ________________, and ________________.

B. How many steps were involved in Rube Goldberg’s pencil sharpener? __________

Site: Newton’s Law
A. Give an example of Newton’s 1st Law of Motion.


B. What formula is used to show Newton’s 2nd Law of Motion?


C. What happens to roller-skating Bob when he tries to push the van (an effect of Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion)?

Site: The Soundry
A. What do we call the study of the ear and sound? ___________________________

B. What does the term SONAR stand for? ___________ ________________ _____________

C. Go to the Doppler Effect Applet. Experiment! What do you notice about the sound of the jet as it gets closer to the person? How does the jet speed effect the sound?

Site: The P Zone
A. What unit is used to measure force? _____________ Symbol = ____

B. Complete: Inertia is the property of ____________ _______ ____________ ____________ ____ ____________.

Site: Funderstanding
Work together as a group to make the roller coaster work. What is the coaster’s top speed? __________

Get your teacher’s initials to show that you have successfully completed the coaster. _____

Site Name: Shockwave Physics (Go to RGB Lighting)
1. Click the red button to turn on the red light. What do you observe about the color of the shadow and the color of the background?


2. Turn off the red light, then click the blue button to turn on the blue light. What do you observe about the color of the shadow and the color of the background?


3. Leave the blue light on and click to turn on the red light. What do you observe about the color of the shadows and the color of the background?


4. Leave the blue and red lights on and click to turn on the green light. What do you observe about the color of the shadows and the color of the background?

Site: Sport Science
A. Where would you have the best chance for hitting a home run: Denver,Colorado or San Diego, California? Why?


B. How much force does it take to break a hockey stick? _______________

C. Who is credited for developing the chain drive (chain and cog system) for bicycles?
_____________ ________________

Site Name: Sandlot Science
1. Click “Distortion Illusions” in the menu on the left side of the screen, then choose “Breathing Objects” on the next page.
A. What appears to be happening?


B. Click on the red shapes to change their size. What do you observe about the
blue object?


2. Click “Moon Illusions”, then click on the picture of the moon. Use the mouse to move the moon in the sky. What do you observe? What causes this illusion?



3. Click the die (HOME) to return to the home page. Click “Topography” in the left hand menu, then choose “Which is an ambigram?” on the next page.
A. What is an ambigram?

B. Which words in the table are ambigrams?

T. (Trimpe) Tomm 1999