Finding Physics Around Us

Finding-physics-around-us

Today we are beginning a new series on Elementary Physics, and we will be finding physics around us. You might not be aware that physics is a part of our everyday lives, so we’ve grabbed our video camera and captured some physics on film!

This post contains affiliate links. I was compensated for my work in writing this post.

We printed out the “Finding Physics” chart from Christian Kids Explore Physics by Bright Ideas Press, and my daughter had fun filling out the chart as we walked around, looking for physics.

physics-chart

Finding Physics: What We Found

Matter has weight and takes up space. It’s basically anything we can see or touch. Examples we found are people, scissors, milk, and piƱatas. The wall, an ice cream cone, and dirt are also examples of matter.

matter-takes-up-space

Energy is the capacity to do work. Examples of energy are the wind, a waterfall, a bolt of lightning, or a microwave.

Heat is a form of energy that causes things to become warm. If you put a cat on your lap, the warmth of the cat will cause you to become hot. Sources of heat: the sun, fire, a furnace, a stove or oven, and even a cup of coffee.

Light enables us to see when it illuminates the area in front of us. Sources of light are the sun, a lamp, a night light, garden lights, traffic lights, and even your cell phone.

Sound is vibrations that travel through the air. We hear these vibrations when they reach our ear. Examples of sounds would be a screaming child, a lawn mower, the clicking of a keyboard, a radio, and birds chirping outside.

Motion is something that is moving. My daughter Rachel is constantly moving (unless she is asleep), so she is a great example of this phenomenon. Other examples of motion are cars, motorcycles, bicycles, a sporting event (although golf and baseball are pretty slow!), and a running hyena.

sun-source-of-light-heat

Here is a coloring page from the first unit: The Foundations of Physics. It shows how trucks, fireworks, and even rocket ships use physics to work:

physics-coloring-page

Now that you’ve seen physics in the world around us, why not stick around for the rest of the series? These are the topics that we will cover during the next few weeks:

  1. Finding Physics Around Us (this post)
  2. Measuring the Magnitude of Force
  3. Changing the Coefficient of Friction
  4. Turning Potential into Kinetic Energy
  5. The Speed of a Rotating Cookie
  6. Flying Projectiles & Plotting Trajectories
  7. Bowling with Momentum
  8. Prisms, Light, & Color
  9. Warming Things Up with Friction
  10. Sound Collection
  11. Fun with Magnets
  12. Make a Compass

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6 Responses to “Finding Physics Around Us”

  1. You are making learning about Physics fun. Thank you for giving us this little lesson and the videos.

  2. Kristi says:

    I love this! We homeschool and I love how you are showcasing Physics as a part of our everyday life instead of something boring in a book. There is so much to learn and when done in a fun way, it tends to stick better!

  3. DONNA says:

    Thank you for this physics lesson. Your kids are so cute. Your daughter’s little scream cracked me up too. Your videos are always educational and entertaining lol. Thanks Susan.

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