The Mechanical Universe: High School Adaptation - 3. Conservation BUNDLE

Question sets to accompany the The Mechanical Universe High School Adaptation episode described below. The high school adaptation videos are no longer available for purchase, and none of the previous distributors posted them for streaming. So I posted them to YouTube and have included hyperlinks in each title below. [I did not monetize the videos, but YouTube runs ads on them per their terms of service.]

3.1. CONSERVATION OF ENERGY ………. Running time: 16:40 ………. A/B+Full versions

What does conservation of energy mean? Galileo’s fertile experiments with balls roiling down inclined planes indicated that some quantity was conserved. Not until the nineteenth century did the law of conservation of energy emerge from experiments exploring the relationships between heat, work, and energy. In this video, an overview of mechanical energy is presented. The connections between work, kinetic energy, potential energy, and heat energy are woven together in the law of conservation of energy.

3.2. CONSERVATION OF MOMENTUM ……… Running Time: 16:33 ………. A/B+Full versions

If the universe follows purely mechanical laws, what keeps it ticking until the end of time? The idea of a mechanical universe was set forth by René Descartes, who postulated that the total “quantity of motion” in the universe is constant. Newton later identified the quantity of motion as momentum. In this video, how Newton’s laws of motion, taken together, lead to the fundamental law of conservation of momentum is illustrated. Not only does conservation of momentum aid in understanding what keeps the mechanical universe ticking, but also it provides a powerful principle for analyzing collisions, even at a local pool hall.

3.3. ANGULAR MOMENTUM ………. Running Time: 11:21

What do the motions of a spinning ice skater and of an orbiting planet have in common? Kepler’s second law of planetary motion, the equal areas law, is rooted in a much deeper principle-the law of conservation of angular momentum. In this video, the ideas of angular momentum and torque are developed through applications to planetary motion, whirlpools, tornadoes, and spinning ice skaters. Along with the laws of conservation of energy and of momentum, conservation of angular momentum remains among the deepest mysteries of nature.

Two versions (A/B where available) reduces the wandering-eye tendencies of neighbors; certain students might even complain that there is something wrong with their sheet since it's different from their neighbor's! “Full” versions combine A/B versions into a single document.

Other Lessons of Phyz advantages:

• A heavy font ensures high legibility even in dim lighting
• Questions are designed to be answered while the video plays—quick, simple responses keep students engaged without requiring deep reflection that would take them out of the presentation
• Question types are mixed: fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, and short answer are common; in some cases, matching or simple illustrations are involved
• I am a classroom teacher; I designed these resources for use with my own students
• If you find competing products online, by all means check them out. They may be cheaper; they may be free. None of them will be as professional, polished, or classroom-ready as this one.

The Google Docs files provided in this product are suitable for use online for remote instruction and make-up work and/or for printing and photocopying for in-person instruction. They are ready to use whichever way you need to use them.

A page with all the Mechanical Universe High School Adaptation videos can be found here.