Quick Quizzes
When we are asked seemingly simple questions but are held accountable for why we have particular views, we are forced to evaluate our thinking, assess what confidence we have and why we have it, and support our claims while engaging in dialogue with appropriately skeptical peers. Quick Quizzes (QQs) are carefully designed problems that allow teachers to easily engage their students in authentic discourse. Due to their ease of implementation, and because active engagement, metacognition, and discourse all support student learning, QQs are a great tool for teachers to implement even if they are forced to stick to a strict curriculum.
Not sure where to start? Take a look at some of our favorite examples in the gallery below! To minimize barriers to entry, we focus on systems that require minimal prep time and use mostly readily available materials. In cases where the system is costly, custom made, or dangerous, we encourage you to simply play the video in your classroom, pausing to allow students to engage with one another. A new quiz will be uploaded to our YouTube every Monday and Friday, so be sure to subscribe and set up notifications!
Notes on Implementation
We have tried to organize QQs by topic and put them roughly in the order they would appear in a traditional introductory physics sequence. Within each unit, we also order them in one suggested sequence; however, teachers are encouraged to stray from this as they see fit. To ease implementation and the writing of lesson plans, we also include materials needed, student difficulty (beginner, intermediate, difficult), and alignment with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
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Description:Students explore the concept of constant velocity through motion diagrams and basic position-time graphs.
NGSS Alignment: HS-PS2-1, SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data.
Required Equipment: None -
Description:Students explore the concept of constant velocity through motion diagrams and basic position-time graphs.
NGSS Alignment: HS-PS2-1, SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data.
Required Equipment: None -
Students interpret and sketch position-time and velocity-time graphs, and match narratives to graphs.
NGSS Alignment: SEP: Developing and Using Models, CCC: Patterns.
Required Equipment: None -
Practice with the “Big 4” kinematic equations. Ideal for students familiar with algebraic manipulation.
NGSS Alignment: ETS1-4, SEP: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking.
Required Equipment: None
-
Description:Students explore the concept of constant velocity through motion diagrams and basic position-time graphs.
NGSS Alignment: HS-PS2-1, SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data.
Required Equipment: None -
Description:Students explore the concept of constant velocity through motion diagrams and basic position-time graphs.
NGSS Alignment: HS-PS2-1, SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data.
Required Equipment: None -
Students interpret and sketch position-time and velocity-time graphs, and match narratives to graphs.
NGSS Alignment: SEP: Developing and Using Models, CCC: Patterns.
Required Equipment: None -
Practice with the “Big 4” kinematic equations. Ideal for students familiar with algebraic manipulation.
NGSS Alignment: ETS1-4, SEP: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking.
Required Equipment: None
-
Description:Students explore the concept of constant velocity through motion diagrams and basic position-time graphs.
NGSS Alignment: HS-PS2-1, SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data.
Required Equipment: None -
Description:Students explore the concept of constant velocity through motion diagrams and basic position-time graphs.
NGSS Alignment: HS-PS2-1, SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data.
Required Equipment: None -
Students interpret and sketch position-time and velocity-time graphs, and match narratives to graphs.
NGSS Alignment: SEP: Developing and Using Models, CCC: Patterns.
Required Equipment: None -
Practice with the “Big 4” kinematic equations. Ideal for students familiar with algebraic manipulation.
NGSS Alignment: ETS1-4, SEP: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking.
Required Equipment: None
-
Description:Students explore the concept of constant velocity through motion diagrams and basic position-time graphs.
NGSS Alignment: HS-PS2-1, SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data.
Required Equipment: None -
Description:Students explore the concept of constant velocity through motion diagrams and basic position-time graphs.
NGSS Alignment: HS-PS2-1, SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data.
Required Equipment: None -
Students interpret and sketch position-time and velocity-time graphs, and match narratives to graphs.
NGSS Alignment: SEP: Developing and Using Models, CCC: Patterns.
Required Equipment: None -
Practice with the “Big 4” kinematic equations. Ideal for students familiar with algebraic manipulation.
NGSS Alignment: ETS1-4, SEP: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking.
Required Equipment: None
- Quiz 1
- Quiz 2
- Quiz A
- Quiz B
Kinematics
Dropping Ball Pattern
Dropped vs. Thrown Ball
Skater Acceleration
Acceleration at Apex
Bounces vs Splat: Does a Basketball or Sandbag Exert More Force When Dropped? (video, pdf)
Conservation of Momentum: What Happens When a Launcher Fires with No Projectile? (video, pdf)
Momentum in Action: What Happens When a Stack of Bouncy Balls Drops (video, pdf)
Inflated vs. Deflated Basketball - Which Give More Force? (pdf)
Inflated vs. Deflated Basketball - Which has a greater impact time? (pdf)
How Do Car Transmissions Work? The Science Explained! (video, pdf)
Sliding vs. Rolling Disks: Which One Wins the Race (video, pdf)
Inflated vs. Deflated Basketball: Which has a Higher Time of Impact (video, pdf)
Reverse Bias Diode with a Resistor and Two Voltmeters (video, pdf)
On-Off-On Two Single Pole-Double Throw Switches (video, pdf)
Three Resistor - Which Has the Greatest Voltage Drop (video, pdf)
Can You Predict Which Bulb Will Light Up? AC Power and Parallel Diodes Test! (video, pdf)
The Surprising Truth About "Overcharging" a Capacitor (And the Explosive Consequences) (video, pdf)
Building a 400,000 Volt Doorbell with a Van de Graff Generator (video, pdf)
How Do Lightning Rods Work? A Classic Van de Graff Experiment (video, pdf)
Using Physics to Make a Simple Metronome Circuit (video, pdf)
Building a Binary Counter: Using Simple Circuits to Explain How Computers Count! (video, pdf)
What Happens to the Resistance when you Stretch a Wire Twice its Length? (video, pdf)
Negatively Charged Rod Approaches an Uncharged Insulator…What Happens? (video, pdf)
A Charged Rod is Brought Near a Stream of Water (video, pdf)
Voltmeter Placed in Series with a Bulb - What Happens to the Bulb? (video, pdf)
Voltmeter Placed in Series with a Bulb - What does the Voltmeter Read? (video, pdf)
How Does Changing Radius Affect a Wire's Resistance? (video, pdf)
Traffic Light: Building with Simple Electronics (video, pdf)
Knight Rider: Building a Back-and-Forth Lighting Circuit (video, pdf)
Einstein’s Relativity and the Limits of Arithmetic (video, pdf)
Building a Binary Counter: Using Simple Circuits to Explain How Computers Count (video, pdf)
What Is the Fibonacci Sequence? Discover it for Yourself! (video, pdf)
Discovering the Most Famous Ratio in Mathematics (video, pdf)
Estimating Pi with Water (video)
Ceasar’s Pattern: Decoding the Alternate Counting Pattern (video, pdf)
Fibonacci - The Most Famous Ratio in Mathematics (video, pdf)
Energy & Thermodynamics
Mastering Power and Torque: Understanding the Secrets Behind Modern Transmissions (video, pdf)
Cooling Steam and Air Pressure: Can You Predict the Tomato’s Fate? (video, pdf)
Magnetic Energy Ball
Refrigerator’s Door is Open - What Happens to the Temperature of the Room (video, pdf)
Flubber (pdf)
Same Height, Different Tracks: Can You Predict Which Ball Wins? (video, pdf)