This is a teacher demonstration used to show an example of kinetic molecular energy using food coloring and water. The students are also given opportunity to develop their own questions and tests.

This activity provides for small group investigation of the properties of different liquids leading to the discovery that liquids are different in many ways, including density.Students would be led to a very beginning understanding of density.

Join Tarissa and Sabrina as they measure and compare the volume of different sounds across New York City in this video from DragonflyTV.

In this video segment adapted from Interactive NOVA, astronaut John Young experiences extreme temperatures on the Moon that are a result of the Moon's low gravity and lack of atmosphere.

This lab activity is designed to have students use their knowledge of balancing and identifying chemcial reactions and apply it in a fun and interesting way!

Grades 9-12. What is ethanol? How much corn is dedicated to ethanol production? Why should corn be used to produce ethanol?

In the U.S., fuel ethanol production primarily utilizes corn, converting its starch into simple sugars for fermentation by yeast, yielding ethanol and byproducts like animal feed and CO2. This process, centered on fermentation, transforms sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide, with about half a pound of ethanol produced per pound of sugar. Corn's high carbohydrate content makes it an efficient feedstock, allowing for the production of around 2.8 gallons of ethanol per bushel. Ethanol production not only uses the starch but also generates distillers grain, enriching livestock feed with remaining nutrients. Notably, 40% of U.S. corn goes towards ethanol production, enhancing energy independence by reducing oil imports, with 14.3 billion gallons of ethanol in 2014 offsetting 512 million barrels of crude oil. Ethanol's production energy primarily derives from solar energy captured by corn, with its energy output exceeding the fossil fuels used for its cultivation and processing by 20-40%. Additionally, ethanol offers environmental benefits, including a 10-20% reduction in greenhouse gases compared to gasoline, equivalent to removing 20 million vehicles from the road, highlighting its role in sustainable energy and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

This learning module includes 7 lessons and/or activities.

How is farming a system? What are the inputs (fertilizer, pesticide, seed) and outputs (crop yield, emissions, runoff)? What impact does soil as a storage have on the consequences of these inputs and outputs?

Systems thinking, applied in business and environmental science, examines the interconnected parts of a whole, categorized as inputs (external additions), outputs (productions), storages (reserves for future use), and flows (movement of matter and energy). In agriculture, inputs like seeds, fertilizers, and water interact within the soil system, influencing crop production. Soil composition—sand, silt, clay—along with nutrient levels (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) and pH, affects plant growth. Mismanagement, particularly over-fertilization, can lead to cultural eutrophication, creating "dead zones" in water bodies by depleting oxygen, crucial for aquatic life.

This learning module includes 9 lessons and/or activities.

How does the production of corn affect water quality? How is water quality tested?

Corn production's impact on water quality has improved due to best management practices, reducing sediment and nutrient losses significantly. Modern agriculture uses genetically modified crops and efficient water infiltration methods, alongside USDA programs and the 4 Rs nutrient strategy, to lessen environmental impact. Water quality is assessed through chemical tests measuring properties like dissolved oxygen and nutrients, essential for aquatic life. Biological assessments, based on vertebrate and macroinvertebrate diversity, indicate water health, reflecting the ecosystem's chemical and physical condition. Riparian zone management, affecting stream structure and temperature, plays a crucial role in maintaining water quality, highlighting the interconnectedness of agricultural practices and aquatic ecosystems.

This learning module includes 6 lessons and/or activities.

This activity is an observation lab where students observe the colors emitted by various metal ions in salt solutions.

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, scientists investigate how farming along the Mississippi River impacts floods and what can be done about it.

This activity is a guided inquiry activity where students take simple measurements and use unit analysis to determine the thickness of a sheet of aluminum foil, the volume of an aluminum atom, and the radius of an aluminum atom.

In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, students learn how the forces of gravity and air resistance affect the motion of falling objects.

Students conduct several simple lab activities to learn about the five fundamental load types that can act on structures: tension, compression, shear, bending and torsion. In this activity, students play the role of molecules in a beam that is subject to various loading schemes.

This media-rich essay from NOVA Online describes the challenges of forecasting volcanic eruptions and includes information about specific cases.

This activity is an extension where students freeze a liquid, making ice cream.

In this interactive activity adapted from the University of Utah's ASPIRE Lab, investigate frequency in terms of trampoline jumps, pendulum swings, and electromagnetic waves.

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, hydrogen fuel cell cars promise pollution-free driving, but will we see them anytime soon?

In this video segment adapted from FETCH!, contestants are challenged to use materials from a garbage dump to build a boat that floats, can be steered, and is propelled by something other than oars.

Just after World War II, nuclear scientists turned their attention from fission to fusion. This video segment adapted from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE looks at the beginnings of thermonuclear power generation.

This video segment adapted from NOVA shows how Galileo, using his newly developed refracting telescope, observed four of Jupiter's moons, the first astronomical bodies to be discovered since ancient times.