• Digital Resources for Novare Physical Science is a downloadable resource that includes all documentation and electronic resources necessary for the administration of this course, whether in a homeschool setting or a coop or classroom. All items are printable and distributable to your student or classroom; only one copy of digital resources are needed per classroom or home.

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  Included in the Digital Resources:

  • Course Overview - "Recommendations for Teaching the Course" by John D. Mays
  • 27 Weekly Review Guides
  • 29 Quizzes
  • Fall and Spring Semester Exams
  • All Keys and Sample Answers
  • Lesson List
  • Sample Schedule for the year
  • Experiment Manual (2-up for printing out as a booklet)
  • Experiment Manual (1-up for displaying on a computer screen)
  • Useful Links – List of free games and activities on the internet

  Experiments Included

  • Kinetic Energy - determine how the kinetic energy of a matchbox car varies as its mass changes
  • Heat Transfer by Conduction - compare the ability of three materials (copper, aluminum, plastic cord) to conduct heat
  • Electrostatic Forces - observe the effects of static electricity caused by accumulations of electric charge
  • Growing Crystals - grow and observe and describe crystal formations using alum, sodium chloride, and Epsom salt
  • Determining Volume - develop skill at calculating and measuring the volume of a regular solid
  • Determining Density - determine the densities of several different materials and compare these densities to reference density values (aluminum, brass, carbon steel)
  • Heat of Fusion - observe the effects of the heat of fusion of a substance
  • Inertia and Force - use a jig with a spring that launches balls of different masses to observe how equal forces affect objects with different masses
  • Observing Chemical Reactions - identify types of compounds in equations and associate chemical formulas and chemical equations with visual observations of what the compounds and reactions look like (copper sulfate, sodium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate, hydrochloric acid)
  • Refraction - measure the indices of refraction for acrylic glass and water and compare the experimental values to published reference values
  • Series and Parallel Circuits - observe the behavior of resistor networks connected in series and in parallel
  • Magnetic Field Strength - determine how the strength of the magnetic field around a current-carrying wire varies with the distance from the wire

The Special Parts Kit contains three custom-made wooden jigs and five metal samples specifically designed to help with five of the experiments in Novare Physical Science. Schematics for making these widgets are included in the experiment manual for Novare Physical Science. However, we recognize that many do not have time or resources, so we also make these available to you fully assembled and ready to use. Each kit contains all of the following:

• Hot Wheels Track Clamp Support Base – used in Experiment 1, Measuring Kinetic Energy
• Double Support Stand with Adjustable Crosspiece (set of two) – used in Experiments 1 and 12, Kinetic Energy and Magnetic Field Strength
• Four Hole Spring Block – used in Experiment 8, Inertia and Force
• Five Metal Samples – used in Experiment 5, Determining Volume, and Experiment 6, Determining Density