Waves on the Fly: Encouraging Inquiry in the Physics Classroom

In this article, the author shares a very successful 50-minute inquiry-based physics lesson that uses only small metal cans, a bit of string, and the inquiring minds of middle schoolers. The topic of the lesson is wave motion and energy transfer. The intent of this article is to show that tests of student-generated hypotheses can be simple, quick, and--most importantly--effective at helping students grasp abstract concepts. They can also be useful assessments of the students' understanding of those concepts. They allow students to become immersed in the same processes that scientists often use to solve problems. (Contains 2 figures, 1 resource and 1 online resource.)