Investigations
About the investigations
Essential Physics contains a variety of student investigations. Some of these investigations use common lab equipment, such as spring scales, masses, digital meters, gears, levers, lenses, and mirrors. Other labs contain interactive elements which make use of data collected from PASCO equipment, such as the Smart Cart (ME-1240 or ME-1241), Wireless Voltage Sensor (PS-3211), or Wireless Current Sensor (PS-3212). Still other labs are entirely virtual and use interactive simulations instead of physical equipment.
To view a list of all investigations in the textbook, select 
Investigations in the home screen. To view a list of all investigations in the current chapter, select 
Investigations in the page navigation bar.
Teaching with the investigations
Each investigation begins with one or more essential questions and a short introduction. This is then followed by one or more parts, each of which addresses different aspects of a particular physics topic. Each investigation is also accompanied by all of the following teaching materials:
- A lesson plan containing details on teaching the investigation, a list of materials, experimental procedures, and science content
- A student assignment which includes data tables, labeled graphs where appropriate, questions, and space for writing answers
- A slide presentation including 40 to 60 slides that aid in teaching the investigation
For investigations that require PASCO sensors, a pre-built SPARKvue file is already included in SPARKvue. All teaching resources are editable and available with one click from the wrap-around section of the digital Teacher's Edition.
