Unit Zero: Overview
There are several key scientific laws and principles, many of which kids need to know before they hit college. These key concepts are what the e-Science program is built around. We’re going to overview these top scientific principles and show you how to dive into each one on a deeper level. You might be surprised at the simple materials we use, or even how basic the experiment setups are. Real ...
Unit 1: Mechanics
In 1666 Newton did his early work on his Three Laws of Motion. To this day, those laws still hold true. There has been some allowances for really big things (like the cosmos) and for really small things (like the atom). Other than that, Newton’s Law’s are pretty much dead on. Newton’s Laws are all they used to get the first man to the moon. They are an amazingly powerful and ...
Unit 2: Motion
We're going to study velocity, acceleration, and Newton's three laws of motion in this unit. You'll get to throw things, build g-force accelerometers, and much more as you uncover the basis of all physics in our crash-course in projectile motion. Newton has a famous quote that goes “If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.” One of the giants he ...
Unit 3: Matter
Atoms are the building blocks of all matter. These odd little fellows make up tables, buildings, chihuahuas and even you. They are impossibly small and yet absolutely vital for all matter and all interaction between matter. They are extremely mysterious and constantly offer new puzzles for science to tackle. And that's exactly what we're going to do. If you’ve been following the energy curriculum up to this point and are looking ...
Unit 4: Energy Part 1
Energy is the mover and shaker of the universe. Heat from the Sun, sounds from your radio, riding a bike and watching a movie are all expressions of different forms of energy. As you sit there reading this, there is energy flowing all around you in the form of light waves, sound waves, radio waves, heat and more. You are constantly being bombarded by energy. Energy is everywhere, all the ...
Unit 5: Energy Part 2
In Unit 4, we began our journey to understanding energy. We discussed the fact that energy is the ability to do work. We defined work as moving an object over a distance against a force. We defined power as the amount of work done over time. We also defined a few of the common energy units: the Joule, calorie, horsepower and Watt. We covered some confusing stuff, but don’t feel ...
Unit 6: Sound
Sound is a form of energy. Energy is the ability to move something over a distance against a force, remember? What is moving to make sound energy? Molecules. Molecules are vibrating back and forth at fairly high rates of speed, creating waves. Energy moves from place to place by waves. Sound energy moves by longitudinal waves (the waves that are like a slinky). The molecules vibrate back and forth, crashing into ...
Unit 7: Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe. Astronomers study celestial objects (things like stars, planets, moons, asteroids, comets, galaxies, and so forth) that exist outside Earth’s atmosphere. It’s the one field of study that combines the most science, engineering and technology areas in one fell swoop. Astronomy is also one of the oldest sciences on the planet. Early astronomers tracked the movement of the ...
Unit 8: Chemistry Part 1
This unit on Chemistry is chocked full of demonstrations and experiments for two big reasons. First, they're fun. But more importantly, the reason we do experiments in chemistry is to hone your observational skills. Chemistry experiments really speak for themselves, much better than I can ever put into words or show you on a video. And I'm going to hit you with a lot of these chemistry demonstrations to help ...
Unit 9: Light
Energy can take one of two forms: matter and light (called electromagnetic radiation). Light is energy in the form of either a particle or a wave that can travel through space and some kinds of matter, like glass. We’re going to investigate the wild world of the photon that has baffled scientists for over a century. Low electromagnetic radiation (called radio waves) can have wavelengths longer than a football field, while ...
Unit 10: Electricity
Electrons are strange and unusual little fellows. Strange things happen when too many or too few of the little fellows get together. Some things may be attracted to other things or some things may push other things away. Occasionally you may see a spark of light and sound. The light and sound may be quite small or may be as large as a bolt of lightning. When electrons gather, strange ...
Unit 11: Magnetism
Did you know that if you cut a magnet in half to try to separate the north from the south pole, you'll wind up with two magnets, each with their own north and south poles? Turns out that the poles are impossible to separate! Now that you’ve spent a few lessons learning about the strange world of the atom (Unit 3 & Unit 8), it’s time to discover which part ...
Unit 12: Renewable/Alternative Energy
Solar cells, wind turbines, and hydroelectric power plants (like the Hoover dam) are all examples of alternative energy sources. Although lots of folks still argue about what's considered 'alternative' or not, the general idea is that the sources produce the same energy at less cost, both money-wise and environmentally. In this unit, we’re going to explore ways to get power from the sun, wind, magnetism, and molecules by studying solar ...
Unit 13: Thermodynamics
If you put an ice cube in a glass of lemonade, the ice cube melts. The thermal energy from your lemonade moves to the ice cube. Increasing the temperature of the ice cube and decreasing the temperature of your lemonade. The movement of thermal energy is called heat. The ice cube receives heat from your lemonade. Your lemonade gives heat to the ice cube. Heat can only move from an ...
Unit 14: Electronics
Strange things happen when you run electricity through resistors, capacitors, transistors, diodes, relays, and LEDs... you get FM transmitters, door alarms, police sirens, robot sensors, and much more! And that's exactly what we're going to learn about in this unit. We're going to take the electronic world apart piece by piece so you can truly understand the how and why circuits really work by building several ultra-cool electronics projects. NOTE: We’re ...
Unit 15: Chemistry Part 2
This second unit on Chemistry is chocked full of demonstrations and experiments for two big reasons. First, they're fun. But more importantly, the reason we do experiments in chemistry is to hone your observational skills. Chemistry experiments really speak for themselves, much better than I can ever put into words or show you on a video. And I'm going to hit you with a lot of these chemistry demonstrations to ...
Unit 16: Life Science 1
In this unit, you will learn about cells, which are the tiny things that everything is made of. We'll start off by talking about the scientists who first observed and described cells. Then we'll talk about cells themselves. We'll learn about things even smaller than cells that are inside of them, and what they do to help cells survive and do their jobs. We'll also talk about how things get ...
Unit 17: Life Science 2
Living things are all around us. Sometimes the living things we notice the most are animals, whether its birds chirping in the trees, our pet dogs, or even our fellow human beings. However, most living things are not animals. In these sections, we will learn about bacteria, archae, fungi, protists, and plants. These organisms are extremely important to learn about. They make life possible for animals, including human beings, by ...
Unit 18: Biology 1
Animals are all around us. As we walk through our neighborhood, we likely see animals being kept as pets, insects crawling on the ground, and birds flying through the trees. Depending on where you live, you may also see animals living in rivers, lakes, and swamps. How are these animals similar? How are they different? Why do they behave in the ways they do? How do their actions affect the ...
Unit 19: Biology 2
Your body does a tremendous number of things all the time. In these sections, you’ll learn about your skeleton, bone joints, muscle tension, blood cells, lungs, ears, eyes, and so much more! Some of the experiments you’ll be creating include: a working lung model so you can see how pressure differences affect the lungs and diaphragm; a robotic hand model with real tendons; working eye model which you can adapt for ...
Unit 20: Earth Science
You are about to become a real meteorologist and geologist as you explore our dynamic planet. We’ll first study the systems of the atmosphere and weather as you get to build a homemade weather station, complete with cloud tracker and hair hygrometer for measuring the Earth's atmosphere. You also get to learn about convention currents, liquid crystals, air pressure, and how sunlight, water, and wind can be used as sources ...
Mathemagic
What is math? It can be compared to a very useful tool, like a hammer, or a collection of tools like a set of screwdrivers. A lot of kids get frustrated and bored with math, because many textbooks concentrate a lot on teaching the small, meticulous details of each and every type of tool. That's one of the fastest ways to kill your passion for something that could have otherwise ...
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