Teacher's Guides
The Teacher Guides at The Laboratory are intended to provide teachers information about each individual lab. The Guides list the required materials, describe the general procedure, suggest alternative materials and procedures, mention safety concerns, offer helpful notes and suggestions regarding student difficulties and various nuances associated with each lab, and identify the connections between the labs and specific pages at The Physics Classroom Tutorial and specific sublevels of the Minds On Physics Internet Modules. In addition to all this, the Teacher's Guides provide a means for teachers to alter or customize each lab. The Guides are viewable as a PDF document (which requires the free Adobe Reader plug-in) and downloadable as a Microsoft Word document. Having access tothe lab information (Question, Purpose, description of the lab notebook, Auxiliary Materials, and Rubric) as a Microsoft Word document allows teachers to add, subtract and change items to suit the needs of the individual classroom as well as to match the teacher's personal style. Teachers have complete permission (and are even encouraged) to download, alter and use all lab information found at The Laboratory. (Note that other sections of The Physics Classroom web site have a distinctly different set of permissions and restrictions.)
Further information about The Laboratory - the philosophy behind it, suggestions for how to use it, directions for sharing your own ideas, and ideas about using lab notebooks in physics class - is available at the many other pages found at The Laboratory. Teachers are encouraged to read these pages to gain the background required for understanding the placement of these labs on this web site and to improve the means by which they can be utilized in the classroom. Finally, for those teachers looking for other classroom ready curricular materials for use in their classroom, consider a visit to The Curriculum Corner.
Recommended Reading
Quick Links to Teacher Guides
One Dimensional Kinematics
| Title of Lab | Lab Description | Teacher's Guide |
| Speedometer Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Speedometer Cubed Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Diagramming Motion Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Position-Time Graphs Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Interpreting the Slope Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Velocity-Time Graphs Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Match That Graph Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Two-Stage Rocket Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Free Fall Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Dune Buggy Challenge Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
Newton's Laws
| Title of Lab | Lab Description | Teacher's Guide |
| Pass the Water Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Galileo for a Day Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Wait! Hmmm. Gee. Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| F-m-a Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Coffee Filter Skydiver Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| From a Feather to an Elephant Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Falling Body Spreadsheet Study | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Friction Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Mu Shoe Physics Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Breaking Strength Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Two-Body Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Ut Tensio, Sic Vis Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Normal Force-o-meter Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
Vectors and Projectiles
| Title of Lab | Lab Description | Teacher's Guide |
| Map Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| As the Crow Flies Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Where Am I? Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Road Trip Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Crossing the River Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Basketball Analysis Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Projectile Simulation Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Projectile Problem-Solving Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Projectile Problem-Solving II Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Launcher Speed Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Maximum Range Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Hit the Target Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
Vectors and Forces
| Title of Lab | Lab Description | Teacher's Guide |
| It's a Breeze Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Getting Hung Up by Tension Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Sign Hanging Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Maximum Load Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Science Friction Adventure Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Inclined Plane Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| On a Roll Challenge Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Modified Atwood's Machine Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
Momentum and Collisions
| Title of Lab | Lab Description | Teacher's Guide |
| Being Impulsive AboutMomentum Change Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Balloon Toss Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Rebounding versus Sticking Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Before and After Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Action-Reaction Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Sand Balloon Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Inelastic Collision Analysis Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Elastic Collision Analysis Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| What's Cooking? Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Two-Dimensional Collision Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
Work and Energy
| Title of Lab | Lab Description | Teacher's Guide |
| It's All Uphill Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| It's All Uphill - The Sequel Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Powerhouse Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Marble Energy Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Marble Energy II Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Work-Kinetic Energy Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Energy on an Incline Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Energy of a Pendulum Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Spring Energy Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Elastic Cord Spreadsheet Study | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Stopping Distance Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| All Work and No Play Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
Circular Motion and Satellite Motion
| Title of Lab | Lab Description | Teacher's Guide |
| Making the Turn Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Loop the Loop Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Race Track Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| The Great Mass Attraction Simulation | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Solar System Sports Spreadsheet Study | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Satellite Motion Simulation | html | PDF || MS Word |
| The Law of Harmonies Analysis | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Jupiter's Moons Analysis | html | PDF || MS Word |
| The Mass of Saturn Analysis | html | PDF || MS Word |
| The Mini Drop Lab | html | MS Word |
Static Electricity
| Title of Lab | Lab Description | Teacher's Guide |
| Action at a Distance Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Sticky Tape Experiments Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Pop Can Induction Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Charging by Induction Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Electric Field Simulation | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Coulomb's Law Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Electric Field Lines Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
Electric Circuits
| Title of Lab | Lab Description | Teacher's Guide |
| Sparky the Electrician Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| First to Light Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Greatest Current Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Voltage-Current-Resistance Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Round vs. Oblong – the Greatest Resistance? Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Series versus Parallel Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Comparing Voltage Drops and Currents in Series Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Bulbs in Series Circuits Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Comparing Voltage Drops and Currents in Parallel Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Bulbs in Parallel Circuits Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Combination Circuits Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Energy Audit Activity | html | PDF || MS Word |
Wave Basics
| Title of Lab | Lab Description | Teacher's Guide |
| A Wiggle in Time Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Period of a Pendulum Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| A Wiggle in Time and Space Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Wave Motion Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Speed of a Wave Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Vibrating Spring Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Nodes and Antinodes Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Harmonic Frequencies Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Wave Behavior Demonstration Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
Sound and Music
| Title of Lab | Lab Description | Teacher's Guide |
| Listen Up! Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Mach 1 Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Natural Frequency and Standing Waves Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Closed End Air Column Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Open End Air Column Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Guitar String Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Music in a Bottle Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Musical Intervals Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Musical Scales Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Timbre Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Who Can Hear Monte Tone? Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
Light and Color
| Title of Lab | Lab Description | Teacher's Guide |
| Ripple Tank Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Two-Point Source Analysis Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Young's Experiment Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Getting it Right With Light Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Diluted by Distance Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Color Addition Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Taking Away from RGB Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Painting with CMY Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Filtering Away Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
Reflection and Mirrors
| Title of Lab | Lab Description | Teacher's Guide |
| Reflection Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Plane Mirror Image Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Rough versus Smooth Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| What Portion ...? Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Right Angle Mirror Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Improving Your Image Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Infinity Derivation | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Exploring Curved Mirrors Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Finding Smiley Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Magnification Ratio Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Mirror Equation Derivation | html | PDF || MS Word |
Refraction and Lenses
| Title of Lab | Lab Description | Teacher's Guide |
| Refraction Action Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Direction of Bending Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Least Time Principle Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| How Much? Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| The Unknown n Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| R and R Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| A Critical Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| Exploring Lenses Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| The L•O•S•T Art of Image Description Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |
| The Lens Equation Lab | html | PDF || MS Word |