Supply and demand
A heatwave hits Lahore. Predict the new price of air coolers.
Balance the crane
Slide the counterweight until the crane balances.
Try it
Takes about 1 minute.
The problem
Students can apply the formula for moments but can't picture what it means.
Who it's for
First-year engineering, physics and technical colleges
Before and after
See how we make a difference
Before
As it usually is
- A formula and a labelled diagram.
- Practice questions with numbers only.
After
Redesigned
- Change 1: Students slide a counterweight along the beam of a construction site crane.
- Change 2: The sums for each side update as they move.
- Change 3: The beam tips until it balances.
- Reason for change 1: The formula sits next to the crane, so the maths and the physical result are linked.
- Reason for change 2: Overshooting shows what happens, not just what's wrong.
- Reason for change 3: Students reach the answer by testing, then see why it works.
In person
Using this in a workshop
In class, students predict where the weight should go, then test it and explain the sums. Afterwards, the link becomes practice before a lab on moments.
How we'd build this for you
The formula next to the thing it describes
This activity is one example of a pattern that works in almost any subject. Here's how the same idea could look in yours.
- ChemistryBalance an equation and watch the atoms on each side match.
- AccountingPost journal entries and watch the balance sheet balance.
- PhysicsChange a circuit's resistance and watch the current update.
- Civil engineeringMove columns and see where a floor starts to sag.
- NutritionSwap foods and watch a day's nutrients add up.
We build it with your subject experts and your own examples, for your workshops and your learning platform. Every piece works on phones, by keyboard and with screen readers.
Free to use
Use it in your teaching
Add this activity to your own course or training, free, with credit to ApexID.
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Portfolio projects made by ApexID to show the kinds of interactive learning we build. Not client projects.