Dynamics:
Everyday Examples in Engineering
Lesson Plans
This section contains lesson plans and solutions, most of which have been prepared using the principle of the 5Es: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate (1).
Particle Kinematics
- Falling Hare
- Mini Cooper Drag Race
- Paper Darts & Airplanes, Raindrops, Sneezing, iPod Falling From Bike
- X-15 Aloft
Particle Kinetics
Rigid Body Kinematics
- Basketball, Skateboard, Tennis Topspin
- Bicycle Braking, Roly-Poly Pizza Cutting
- Marbles, Yoyo, Broken Down Car
- Yoyo, Bicycle Pedaling
Systems of Particles
Three-Dimensional Rigid Body Motion
- Violin-Playing Robot, Industrial Robot, Teeth Cleaning
- Spinning Top, Bicycle Stability, Equinox Precession
Vibrations
Demonstrations
This section provides examples of demonstrations —and includes directions for building and using the demonstrations.
Particle Kinematics
Particle Kinetics
Video demonstrations of Everyday Examples
Ideas for Lesson Plans
This section lists ideas that could be used to illustrate engineering concepts. Consider these ideas as you create your own lesson plans.
Particle Kinematics
- Spider-Man: Swinging Through NYC Using His Webbing
- Equations of Motion - Bicycle, Skateboard*
- Polar Coordinates - Dancing, Spinning*
Particle Kinetics
- Energy Skate Park
- Spider-Man: The Death of Gwen Stacey
- Superman: Leaping Tall Buildings in a Single Bound
- Free Response of Multi-Degree-of-Freedom Systems - Skidding on Ice*
- Impulse and Momentum - Hammering In a Nail*
- Momentum Equation - Avalanches*
- Translational Motion - Dance*
- Velocity - Hair Dryer (Fan Speed Affects the Air Flow Rates)*
Rigid Body Kinematics
- Kinematics and Dynamics of Rigid Bodies - Bicycle*
- Rotational Motion - Dancing*
- Uniform Circular Motion - Ice Skating*
Rigid Body Kinetics
- Gears - Bicycle, LEGO Robot Model*
- Combined Translation and Rotation - Cars in a Skid*
- Angular Velocity - Ice Skating (Turns)*
- Motion (Analytical Description) - Skiing*
- Moment Curvature Relations - Traffic Signs (Light Signals)*
- Forces and Torques - Unscrewing Bottles*
Vibrations
- Single Degree-of-Freedom Vibration - Car Hitting a Bump*
- Transient Response - Drums*
- Transducers - MP3 Player Speakers*
- Harmonically Excited Systems - Tacoma Narrows Bridge Failure*
- Transverse String Vibrations, Continuous Systems - Violins*
*Source: Ilene Busch-Vishniac, Tom Kibler, Patricia B. Campbell, Eann Patterson, Darrell Guillaume, Jeffrey Jarosz, Constantine Chassapis, Ashley Emery, Glenn Ellis. Horace Whitworth, Susan Metz, Suzanne Brainard & Pradosh Ray
(1) Atkin, J.M. and Karplus, R. (1962). Discovery or Invention? Science Teacher, 29(5):45.