Physical Science
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Physics
Science in a snap
Students will answer questions about the online Science News article “New high-speed video reveals the physics of a finger snap,” which details scientists’ exploration of the friction required for finger snapping. A version of the article, “Camera captures physics in a snap,” appears in the December 18, 2021 & January 1, 2022 issue of Science News.
- Physics
Science on screen
Students will discuss the physics of finger snapping and apply their scientific knowledge to think critically about the scientific accuracy of movies and online demonstrations.
- Life
Whales Eat More Than We Thought
In this guide, students will learn how scientists estimated the food intake of certain whale species and discuss nutrient cycling and conservation of matter within ecosystems.
- Ecosystems
Cycling through an ecosystem
Students will discuss nutrient cycling and conservation of matter, and how these concepts can be observed in an ecosystem.
- Ecosystems
Rethinking whale appetites
Students will answer questions about the online Science News article “Baleen whales eat (and poop) a lot more than we realized,” which details scientists’ efforts to accurately estimate how much certain whale species eat and what that means for ecosystems. A version of the article, “Whales eat more than we thought,” appears in the December 4, 2021 issue of Science News.
- Physics
How ducklings dodge drag
Students will discuss the physics of drag using real-world examples.
- Physics
Quacking the physics of duckling swimming
Students will answer questions about the online Science News article “Here’s the physics of why ducklings swim in a row behind their mother,” which details how baby ducks save energy by surfing their mom’s waves. A version of the article, “Why baby ducks swim in a line,” appears in the November 20, 2021 issue of Science News.
- Chemistry
Marie Antoinette’s Letters Are Uncensored by X-rays
In this guide, students will learn how scientists used chemistry to unravel a historical mystery and discuss the uses and limitations of spectroscopy.
- Chemistry
Solving a French Revolution mystery with chemistry
Students will answer questions about the online Science News article “Ink analysis reveals Marie Antoinette’s letters’ hidden words and who censored them,” which details how scientists used chemistry to unravel a mystery from the French Revolution. A version of the article, “Marie Antoinette’s letters are uncensored by X-rays,” appears in the November 6, 2021 issue of Science News.
- Chemistry
Revealing secrets with spectroscopy
Students will discuss how spectroscopy relates to atomic structure, how the technology can help solve historical mysteries and the limitations and ethics of such work.
- Tech
Reimagining plastics recycling
Students will evaluate experimental methods for recycling plastics, gather data about the types of plastics they use at home, research plastics recycling in their community and write a letter to local officials that advocates for improving plastics recycling.
- Particle Physics
Dig into atomic models
Students will research how knowledge of the atom has changed over time, visually represent a historic atomic model and present that model to the class. Students can also explore the standard model of particle physics and discuss ways it could be depicted.
