41 cases found

A crash course in vectors
Date Published: 9/29/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Those crazy girls from Laguna Beach have wrecked their BMWs. It's your job to determine if the girls were speeding before the accident. Measure skid marks, resolve vectors and use free-body diagrams to determine if those girls deserve a ticket.
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A tale of two charges
Date Published: 9/29/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: A series of instant messages are exchanged between Charles-Augustin de Coulomb and a writer from Encyclopedia Britannica discussing the fundamentals of Coulomb's Law
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Blackout
Date Published: 9/29/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: The worst power outage in US history gives Alex a chance to make some money. Will his plan for alternative energy win over the judges?
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Buzz off
Date Published: 8/21/2009	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: A few students are hanging out at the local 7-11 when they hear this terrible, piercing noise. The middle-aged mother pumping her gas nearby seems to not even hear this noise? What is this high-pitched noise the kids are hearing? Why can't the mom hear it? Find out in this PBL all about sound!
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Calling all athletes
Date Published: 8/21/2009	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: A D-1 recruiter is looking for the hottest, most talented athletes to start prepping his sports teams. Do you have what it takes to become a college athlete? How are you going to show the recruiter that you are the fastest?
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Capitol crisis
Date Published: 8/1/2011	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: A time of crisis is at hand. The nation is at nuclear war with the rest of the world and only one man can save the United States. But who can save that man? The President has a tumor and is too weak for the chemotherapy. How can we save him? Magnetic nano-particles can be one of the choices.
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Cartoon physics
Date Published: 8/9/2010	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Everyone knows the plight of Wile. E. Coyote. In his relentless pursuit of Roadrunner, he runs off a cliff, but remains suspended in midair until he realizes hes suspended in midair and plummets to the ground. This case will analyze the "Cartoon Laws of Physics" and use knowledge of the principles and laws of Earthly physics to debunk the blunders of cartoons, TV shows and movies.
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Colossal cannon
Date Published: 9/2/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: The King has just purchased a Colossal Canon with no instruction manual. Use your physics know-how to destroy your enemy's fortress walls.
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Corey's thesis proposal
Date Published: 11/11/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Corey, Keesha and Sook discuss the headaches of travel after they return from spring break. This discussion inspires Corey to tackle this issue as part of his PhD thesis. Is Corey's proposal even possible?
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Crazy coaster contest
Date Published: 9/17/2010	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Have you ever ridden a roller coaster expecting a huge thrill and been disappointed? Did you think that you could design a better ride? Well here's your chance to prove it !!!! All For Fun and Fun For All, inc. is planning a NEW THEME PARK in your community and is holding a contest for the best roller coaster design team!
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Death of the PS3
Date Published: 7/10/2009	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Bart Simpson throws a PS3 over Niagara Falls. Lisa and Milhouse take the opportunity to gather data about the Falls, and learn about conservation of energy, power, and heat transfer.
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Electri City
Date Published: 8/1/2011	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: It's the holidays and Marry and Larry's neighborhood is having brown-outs from all the holiday lights. It's up to them to figure out how to reduce the power consumption and save the holidays!
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GOES-12 is not responding
Date Published: 10/8/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: As a hurricane bears down on coastal Florida a critical weather satellite malfunctions. Can the NOAA deploy a replacement in time to track the storm and warn the right people to evacuate?
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Get over it
Date Published: 9/6/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: One daring girl will use dimensions of a cliff and her very fast tricked-out car to make herself the topic of every convo at school.
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Going, going, gone!
Date Published: 10/8/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Has the ball been juiced? The number of home runs in Region 5AA has doubled this year, while numbers in other regions have remained static. Major league scouts are coming to the games to see two of the Grady power hitters. What is the reason for the increase in homers?
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Guinness grumble
Date Published: 8/1/2011	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: In a bench-pressing tournament, contestants, Reggie, Mario and Ronald all claim themselves as the Guinness Book of World Records holder for heaviest bench press. 1,000 lbs, 500kg and 4,800N: which is the heaviest? Who is the real champion?
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How did you spend your summer vacation?
Date Published: 10/8/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Ishmael, Queequeg, and Ahab are stranded on an island after a tropical storm destroys their boat. They were able to use their physics skills to construct a shelter from the elements, but are their skills strong enough to find a way off the island?
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How to catch a mobster
Date Published: 12/10/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: A judge has been kidnapped and the Gambino family is the police's primary suspect. There is some information as to where the family may be hiding out. Can the police find the job in time?
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It had its ups and downs
Date Published: 9/6/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Nicole had designed enough duds for her amusement park designing firm. She has one last chance to prove that she can design a thrilling ride before she makes like Campbells and gets canned.
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Just jump
Date Published: 11/3/2010	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: David & Qing look up at the tallest bungee jumping tower ever built. David is all in; Qing is freaking out. The safety inspector confirms that the structure is safe, but Qing just doesn't buy it. Can the inspector convince her to conquer her fear using Physics and logic?
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Lights out
Date Published: 9/29/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Poor planning and a few mishaps leave two cave-exploring friends in the dark. Will they be able to build a flashlight out of the random materials in their backpacks, or will they be lost in the gloom indefinitely?
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Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fastest of them all?
Date Published: 7/14/2009	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Sara, a female track runner has been training hard, but has been unable to improve her running times. She complains to her friend John, who suggests they run some experiments to find out how fast she is now and strategies to improve her speed. Sara hopes to beat two girls from the rival high school at the next track meet.
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Mission possible
Date Published: 7/29/2011	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: This case is based on characters from the FOX Television Show "24." Jack Bauer must save Audrey Raines, who is being held captive by the Chinese government. Students must use their knowledge of projectile motion to help Jack disable the detonator that is wired to explosives attached to the chair in which Audrey is sitting.
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My dream car
Date Published: 11/3/2010	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: It's Meredith's 16th birthday and her parents are giving her a surprise. They will buy Meredith a car as her birthday gift! Meredith is pretty excited, but her first task is to figure out what type of car to get. Should she go safe or fast? Should she go large or small? Can you help her make a wise choice?
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Noisy neighbors
Date Published: 9/13/2011	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Frustrated by the noise from concerts at a nearby amphitheater, neighborhood activists have organized to regulate the sound coming from the park. Your monitoring company is making a competitive bid to develop a definition of noise that can be used by the city to monitor and to regulate the sound.
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Pi
Date Published: 1/4/2012	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Two students are making calculations. They have a difficult time determining how many numbers to use based upon the answer that they obtain from the calculator.
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Rubber band race
Date Published: 8/19/2009	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: The DARPA Grand Challenge involves designing and building an autonomous vehicle that races 212 kilometers across the Nevada desert. Today, you will face your own design challenge: Build a rubber band-powered vehicle that is light, can travel far, and can carry a load as far as possible. After you design, build, and modify your vehicle, you will put it to the test against other vehicles designed by your classmates.
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Six Flags Over Georgia
Date Published: 8/1/2011	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Can the Six Flags Over Georgia Physics Day be more than vapid fun? Is it possible to ignite elementary school students' interest in physics through instruction by high school students? Will this exercise be both fun and informative for both the high school student and the elementary school student?
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Speed trap
Date Published: 9/29/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: The town of Fishkill, GA is a well known speed trap. Radar detectors led to a drop in the number of speeding tickets written, but somehow the sheriff's office has found a new way to determine the speed of cars driving down the road.
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Superhero physics
Date Published: 8/1/2011	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Superman saves Wonder Woman's life and injures her neck in the process. Now she's taking him to court! Use the law of Conservation of Momentum to determine if Wonder Woman has a case.
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Superhero physics
Date Published: 8/1/2011	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Superman saves Wonder Woman's life and injures her neck in the process. Now she's taking him to court! Use the law of Conservation of Momentum to determine if Wonder Woman has a case.
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Test crash
Date Published: 8/22/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Mark recalls his friends and how he became stranded on a mountaintop during a glider accident. Students build their own gliders and quantify the forces acting on them.
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The Jules Verne express
Date Published: 9/29/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Could a wild proposal to build an underground tunnel across the US be the next step in energy-efficient, high-speed travel? It's up to a new associate at a major research institution to figure that out so her bosses can decide whether to fund the proposal as the wave of the future, or dismiss it as science fiction.
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The fender bender
Date Published: 10/1/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: John knew that his parents would be furious when he told them about the fender bender he just got in. But he was convinced that the accident was not his fault. Can John's experiment prove to his dad that he was not to blame for the fender bender?
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The mind bender
Date Published: 9/29/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: A boy and his grandfather share a love of roller coasters that may turn deadly. A ride on "The Mind Bender" leaves Jack's grandpa with chronic headaches and dizziness.
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The moon landing - fact or science fiction?
Date Published: 9/29/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: When a boy sees a TV show that argues the 1969 Moon landing was a hoax, he's frustrated and confused. So he asks his dad, who just happens to be an astronomer, about the show, and the two investigate the hoax claims.
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The sky is falling
Date Published: 2/18/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: While stargazing one clear evening, an amateur astronomer tracks four unidentified objects speeding towards Earth. As a team of experts, you are consulted to confirm the objects' trajectory, calculate the consequences of possible impact, and recommend immediate action.
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The world's most delicious physics case
Date Published: 10/7/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Galileo and his assistant have failed in their attempt to measure the speed of light. Where they have failed, you will succeed. Use your brain, a microwave and lots of candy to investigate waves and measure the speed of light.
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To infinity & beyond!
Date Published: 2/16/2011	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: Does a clock run fast or slow or as usual on the moon? Does it matter whether the clock uses a pendulum or a spring mechanism? Which mechanism, if either, would be better? Beyoncé is selected as a member of a test group to initially populate the new Space Station USA on the moon. To make the final cut, she must be able to answer these questions correctly and give thorough explanations to the official Space Station USA Selection Committee.
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Tsunami
Date Published: 9/29/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: In the past 75 years there have been several major tsunami waves that have caused damage and loss of life in coastal areas around the world. Students will select one of the major tsunami events, gather as much information as possible, and report to the class as a group.
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You can't win, you can't break even
Date Published: 10/1/2008	Subject: Physics	Grade Level: High School
Summary: In Life, you can't win and you can't break even...Thermodynamically speaking, of course.
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