Bring Sports to Life with Virtual Simulations
Teachers love to tap into student interests to make learning fun and relevant. For all those sports fans sitting in the classroom, virtual sports simulations are an easy way to get the ball rolling.
Explore the science and math behind sports
Students may not realize it, but STEM and sports have a lot in common. Gizmos makes the connection with a collection of sports simulations, but that’s not all. Sports-related STEM learning offers opportunities for effective, evidence-based lessons that are authentic and thought-provoking.
Gizmos’ virtual sports simulations aren’t just par for the course. Using sports to teach math and science turns each lesson into a hole-in-one! Students experience the physics of sports with engaging sports science lessons and discover that math in sports goes beyond statistics and scorekeeping.
Make learning more exciting with sports-themed Gizmos
Engagement, motivation, and overall classroom success will follow when teachers capitalize on student interests (like sports). Students genuinely interested in what they are learning are more likely to participate, pay attention, and retain information actively. Get them into the game with Gizmos.
Math and science learning isn’t out of their league with these Gizmos sports simulations. Take a look.
Distance-Time Graphs
Create a graph of a runner's position versus time and watch the runner complete a 40-yard dash based on the graph you made. Notice the connection between the slope of the line and the speed of the runner. What will the runner do if the slope of the line is zero? What if the slope is negative? Add a second runner (a second graph) and connect real-world meaning to the intersection of the two graphs.
Distance-Time Graphs Gizmo
Free-Fall Laboratory
Investigate the motion of an object as it falls to the ground. A variety of objects can be compared, and their motion can be observed in a vacuum, in normal air, and in denser air. The position, velocity, and acceleration are measured over time, and the forces on the object can be displayed. Using the manual settings, the mass, radius, height, and initial velocity of the object can be adjusted, as can the air density and wind.
Free-Fall Laboratory Gizmo
Free Fall Tower
Recreate Galileo's famous experiment by dropping objects off the Tower of Pisa. You can drop ping pong balls, golf balls, soccer balls, or watermelons. Objects can be dropped in air or in no air, with or without a parachute. The speed of each object is shown on a speedometer and a graph.
Free Fall Tower Gizmo
Human Homeostasis
Adjust the levels of clothing, perspiration, and exercise to maintain a stable internal temperature as the external temperature changes. Water and blood sugar levels need to be replenished regularly, and fatigue occurs with heavy exercise. Severe hypothermia, heat stroke, or dehydration can result if internal stability is not maintained.
Human Homeostasis Gizmo
Golf Range
Try to get a hole in one by adjusting the velocity and launch angle of a golf ball. Explore the physics of projectile motion in a frictional or ideal setting. Horizontal and vertical velocity vectors can be displayed, as well as the path of the ball. The height of the golfer and the force of gravity are also adjustable.
Golf Range Gizmo
Air Track
Adjust the mass and velocity of two gliders on a frictionless air track. Measure the velocity, momentum, and kinetic energy of each glider as they approach each other and collide. Collisions can be elastic or inelastic.
Air Track Gizmo
Wheel and Axle
Use a wheel and axle to move a heavy load. Find out how many athletes it takes to move the load under different conditions. The radii of the wheel and the axle can be adjusted to help study mechanical advantage.
Wheel and Axle Gizmo
Gravity Pitch
Imagine a gigantic pitcher standing on Earth, ready to hurl a huge baseball. What will happen as the ball is thrown harder and harder? Find out with the Gravity Pitch Gizmo. Observe the path of the ball when it is thrown at different velocities. Throw the ball on different planets to see how each planet's gravity affects the ball.
Gravity Pitch Gizmo
Feed the Monkey
Fire a banana cannon at a monkey in a tree. The monkey drops from the tree at the moment the banana is fired from the cannon. Determine where to aim the cannon so the monkey catches the banana. The position of the cannon, launch angle, and initial velocity of the banana can be varied. Students can observe the velocity vectors and the paths of the monkey and banana.
Feed the Monkey Gizmo
Density
Measure the mass and volume of a variety of objects, then place them into a beaker of liquid to see if they float or sink. Learn to predict whether objects will float or sink in water based on their mass and volume. Compare how objects float or sink in a variety of liquids, including gasoline, oil, seawater, and corn syrup.
Density Gizmo
Coastal Winds and Clouds
Observe daily weather conditions in a coastal region. Measure temperatures and wind speeds at any location and use this data to map convection currents that form during the day and night. Explain the origin of land breezes and sea breezes.
Coastal Winds and Clouds Gizmo
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