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 Goldbergs pencil sharpener?
__________
Site: Newtons Law
A. Give an example of Newtons 1st Law of Motion.
B. What formula is used to show Newtons 2nd Law of Motion?
C. What happens to roller-skating Bob when he tries to push the
van (an effect of Newtons 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 coasters top speed? __________
Get your teachers 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