Build circuits with capacitors, inductors, resistors and AC or DC voltage sources, and inspect them using lab instruments such as voltmeters and ammeters.

This brief article relates the legend of young Gauss and the summing of consecutive numbers. Readers are asked to apply the method and they are shown a general solution. A link to a printable page is provided as well as links to related topics.

Experiment with conductivity in metals, plastics and photoconductors. See why metals conduct and plastics don't, and why some materials conduct only when you shine a flashlight on them.

In this investigation students explore the concept of ratios and their relationship with factors and multiples. Given an assortment of cogs (gears) with different numbers of teeth, solvers are asked to find which pairs allow for each tooth of one to fit into every gap of the other, and to form conjectures regarding which pairs would work generally. The problem is well-suited for group work. The Teachers' Notes page offers suggestions for implementation, key questions, student sheets, and links to articles, videos, and an interactive Cog Environment (cataloged separately).

This problem requires some visualization and knowledge of 3D shapes. It gives children experience of identifying shapes from pictures of them in different positions and orientations. Ideas for implementation, extension and support are included along with a printable sheet of shape cards.

With this flexible Flash applet students can explore a wide range of concepts, including addition and subtraction, factors and multiples, fractions, ratios, and combinations. Users place, move and rotate virtual Cuisenaire Rods on a grid which can be enlarged, reduced, moved or printed. It contains a link to page of challenges which can take advantage of this tool.

This article helps educators answer questions about geometric thinking and the activities that develop it. It outlines the 3 levels of thinking about shape and space and the 5 phases of activities known as the van Hiele model. The tangram puzzle provides a vehicle for describing these phases and the types of thinking students achieve in each one. The article concludes with a suggestion about followup activity.

This problem demonstrates the power of the 100 square (Hundred Chart) in helping children to recognize number properties and in beginning to reason carefully and form conjectures. Students look at sums of numbers located in a certain configuration within squares of the grid. There is a link to a printable hundred chart.

This collection of 6 games develops place value, operation sense and fluency, estimation, and strategic thinking. It is played on paper with a 6- or 9-sided die (printable pdf game sheets included). Players choose a game grid with empty cells representing the digits of a computation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division). They take turns rolling a die and placing the resulting number in a cell on their own grids. The goal is to create a sum/difference/product/quotient that is closest to a target number. Variations include using a decimal point and scoring options. Teachers' Notes include suggestions for introducing the game, discussion questions, support suggestions, and a link to a more challenging extension (Countdown, cataloged separately).

This activity from the Exploratorium provides an introduction to the diffraction of light which indicates its wavelike properties. Two pencils are used to create a slit through which a flashlight bulb or candle˘ď‹ď_s light is examined. The site contains an explanation of the observed interference patterns, additional materials that can be experimented with, and an extension activity. This activity is part of Exploratorium's Science Snacks series.

This problem provides students practice in fractions (tenths) and challenges students' addition and subtraction skills. Students are given a cake with the numbers zero to nine on it. They are asked to cut the cake into three pieces with three cuts so that the numbers on each piece add to the same total. The Teachers' Notes page offers rationale, discussion questions, ideas for extension and support, and a printable (pdf) worksheet of the problem.

This Super Lesson utilizes Project Based Learning to assist learners with designing, building, and testing flying contraptions as an introduction to Engineering. The goal of this project is to engage students in collaborative team work and to introduce students to the Science and Engineering Practices: Asking Questions and Defining Problems, Planning and Carrying Out Investigations, and Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions.

We have offered this Super Lesson as an 8-week elective course, developing and strengthening student interest in applied Math and Science topics. It could also be offered within upper elementary or middle school Science and Math courses. In addition, each week’s topic could be used as a stand alone mini-lesson if time is limited. We have worked to include multiple options within this unit to make it accessible to both general education and special education programs, including recommendations for modifications and extensions.

Students will design a fermentation tank to reduce biomass into its component parts.

This brief article on Archimedes describes some of his practical inventions, his love of pure mathematics, and his quirkiness. Many links to related topics are included as well as a link to a printable page.

This puzzle, played with cards on a board (downloadable file), provides an interesting context in which students can apply their knowledge of number properties. Students attempt to arrange 25 numbers and 10 property headings into a 5 by 5 grid so that each number satisfies two conditions. Properties addressed include primes, square and triangular numbers, specific sets of multiples and factors, and parity. It can be worked individually or in small groups cooperatively. The Teachers' Notes page offers suggestions for implementation, discussion questions, ideas for extension and support, and links to an article, "Using Games in the Classroom" (catalogued separately).

Play with a bar magnet and coils to learn about Faraday's law. Move a bar magnet near one or two coils to make a light bulb glow. View the magnetic field lines. A meter shows the direction and magnitude of the current. View the magnetic field lines or use a meter to show the direction and magnitude of the current. You can also play with electromagnets, generators and transformers!

We plan to facilitate several engineering lessons that requires students to design, build ROV controllers, calculate weight, underwater thrust and buoyancy.

This interactive Flash game provides an opportunity for a player to make decisions and develop strategic thinking by analyzing the uncovered number choices on a game board that includes the integers from -5 to 12. Each player rolls the dice, chooses which number to begin with and whether to add or subtract the other number to produce either a negative or positive result shown on the board. The goal is to be first player to complete a row of three counters either horizontally, vertically or diagonally on the game board. The Teachers' Notes page offers suggestions for implementation, discussion questions, ideas for support, printable instructions and game board, and a link to a more advanced version of the game (Connect Three, cataloged separately).