From our daily movements to object behavior, physics permeates all aspect of our life. I show in this essay how I have taught fundamental physics ideas using commonplace events like turning on lights or dumping objects. This method lets students relate to and enjoy physics.
Table of Contents
- Physics in Daily Life: Making Science Relatable
- How to Teach Physics Through Everyday Examples
- The Physics of Movement and Gravity
- How Physics Shapes the World Around Us
Physics in Daily Life: Making Science Relatable

Ever wonder why a ball thrown straight up always comes down? Alternatively, how a basic action like riding a bike entails a sophisticated interaction of physical forces? Physics is the fundamental basis of our daily experiences; it is not only a topic found in textbooks and laboratories. I refer to this as relatable physics, a means of comprehending and valuing the science forming our planet.
Unveiling Physics in Our Surroundings
Let us begin with something known: a basic swing. Physics controls everything including the swinging motion, the way it accelerates and slows down, the sensation of weightlessness at the top. Demonstrating ideas including gravity, momentum, and energy transfer, the motion of the swing is a typical example of everyday physics in action.
Examining your refrigerator closely will help. By means of refrigeration—a process based on thermodynamics and heat transfer—it maintains your food cool. A monument to the strength of magnetism, the magnetic door seal guarantees the chilly air stays within. Even something as basic as the refrigerator’s light employs the mechanics of electricity to illuminate its inside.
Teaching Relatable Physics to Make Learning Engaging
Teachers might find great use for relatable physics. Imagine teaching physics using real-life situations instead of depending on theoretical ideas and abstract calculations. Having children examine the route of a bouncing ball will help them to understand ideas of momentum and gravity.
Examining the focus of a magnifying glass helps one investigate the ideas of optics. These everyday physics illustrations help to translate theoretical ideas into real-world, understandable encounters. Learning physics becomes more interesting, approachable, and finally more significant with this method. Linking physics to daily life will enable pupils to view the world scientifically and develop a greater respect of the science all around us.
How to Teach Physics Through Everyday Examples

Sometimes the study of the basic components of our universe—physics—feels like something limited to textbooks and labs. However, physics in everyday life permeates whatever we do and shapes our experiences as well as the daily events we overlook. Here is where the idea of relatable physics helps us to grasp and value the science behind our daily existence.
We may make abstract ideas interesting and significant learning opportunities by relating physics in daily life to practical applications. Consider teaching physics by means of the straightforward ball tossing motion. Everyday physics is shown by the ball’s path, acceleration, and force of gravity bringing it back down. This method can inspire students to investigate the science behind the world they live in by helping them to see physics in daily life as something relevant and understandable for them.
Bringing Physics in Everyday Life to the Classroom
Let’s investigate how kids might relate better to physics. Here are some particular instances of how to teach physics in daily life by means of common objects:
- Gravity and Momentum: Instead of simply explaining the concepts of gravity and momentum, use a bouncing ball to demonstrate these principles. Have students analyze the ball’s trajectory, observing how it slows down as it rises and speeds up as it falls. Discuss the concept of momentum as the ball bounces back up, transferring energy with each bounce.
- Optics: Use a magnifying glass to explore the principles of optics. Students can observe how the lens focuses light, creating a magnified image. Explain the refraction of light and how it bends when it passes through different mediums.
- Thermodynamics: A refrigerator is a perfect example of thermodynamics in action. Explain how refrigeration works, emphasizing the concepts of heat transfer and the movement of energy. This can be a great opportunity to discuss the importance of insulation and how it prevents heat loss.
- Electricity: Simple things like a light switch or an electric fan provide excellent examples of electricity. Discuss how electricity flows through wires, generating light and motion. These examples can help students understand the basic principles of circuits and energy flow.
Teachers can design interesting learning opportunities using these common physics examples that make physics in daily life more relevant and approachable. Along with learning fundamental ideas, students will grow to grasp physics in daily life. This method inspires kids to see and examine their surroundings scientifically, therefore fostering wonder and curiosity.
The Physics of Movement and Gravity

Ever found yourself wondering why you trip or how a ball bounces? Under the basic ideas of movement and gravity, these daily events provide an amazing illustration of physics in action. We will look at how these forces impact our interactions with the environment and see how teachers could show them using commonplace objects.
The number of daily tasks involving physics may astound you. Though you’re not consciously considering them, movement and gravity are always at work. Walking, for instance, is a delicate mix between your muscles pushing off the ground moving move and gravity dragging you down. Friction is also rather important since it lets your feet grab the ground and stops you from slippering.
Consider gravity, the force drawing objects toward one another. That grounds us on Earth. Momentum today refers to an object’s mass and speed. It affects item movement. Consider throwing a ball: Momentum from your first force drives the ball back down under gravity. Its course and speed are likewise affected by friction with the air, which slows it down as it passes through it.
Bringing Physics to Life for Students
Though it can be a little scary, Physics doesn’t have to be! Using relevant examples can help us to make these ideas interesting for the pupils. Rather than merely tossing a ball, why not give a roller coaster some thought? Imagine a roller coaster whirling over loops and dips — what an exhilaration! The thrill results from the interactions among gravity, momentum, and forces. The coaster is pulled down by Gravity, which accelerates it greatly; its momentum keeps it moving even on hillside terrain.
Bouncing a ball is another interesting exercise. The force you apply and the starting momentum determine the upward bounce of the ball. Gravity pulls it back down; friction between the ball and the surface affects its bounce height and duration.
Students might construct a basic ramp and test how various objects roll down, tracking how gravity influences their speed and momentum. Seeing physics in action helps them to learn by doing! This practical exercise renders the ideas alive.
Examining these commonplace instances helps children to better grasp the ideas of movement and gravity, therefore recognizing the science underlying the environment they live with. Recall that physics is about knowledge of the forces sculpting our planet, not only about calculations and formulas!
How Physics Shapes the World Around Us

Have you ever given daily events some thought from a scientific standpoint? From the basic act of walking to the complex operations of our cellphones, physics is continuously at work changing our environment and impacting our experiences. I refer to this as everyday physics—that is, knowledge and appreciation of the science supporting our daily existence. It helps us to view the world scientifically, appreciating the complex interaction of elements and ideas enabling our planet to exist.
Unveiling the Physics in Everyday Life
Consider riding a bike. This apparently easy hobby provides evidence of basic physics ideas. Pushing on the pedals causes the bike go forward. Gravity grounds us on Earth; the tires hold the road because of friction. Working together, these forces provide a steady and comfortable ride.
Still another striking illustration is the act of throwing a ball. Your applied force sends the ball soaring through the air. Gravity pulls the ball down so it falls to the ground. The interaction of these forces shapes the ball’s path, a remarkable example of everyday physics. Cooking lets us also witness physics in action. A stovetop’s heat distributes energy to the food so it cooks. Heat causes the change in condition of water that results in boiling. Here ideas like conduction and convection find application. When you bake a cake, for instance, conction and convection move the heat from the oven to the batter. The oven warms the air within it, which then distributes heat to the cake pan. Along with the batter’s chemical reactions, this mechanism drives the cake to rise and bake uniformly.
Making Physics More Relatable
During a field trip to an amusement park, one of the most powerful physics lessons I have encountered. Riding a roller coaster, I experienced the thrashing forces of acceleration, gravity, and inertia. This encounter confirmed my grasp of these ideas in a manner never possible from textbooks. It let me relate relatable physics to actual events.
Using practical cases can help us to make learning physics more interesting and approachable. Imagine instructing physics by only dropping a ball. Connecting the ball to this familiar activity helps one to easily explain its acceleration owing to gravity, the force of impact on the ground, and its potential energy at different heights. With this method, physics—a textbook topic—can become a real, relevant experience. Students can observe the science underlying daily events including the motion of a swinging pendulum, refrigerator operations, or light bulb power flow. Learning physics with practical examples can help students to better grasp the ideas that mold our planet and inspire awe and questions regarding the science all around us.
Making physics more approachable and interesting depends critically on “teaching physics with examples”. Real-world examples might enable students link abstract ideas to their personal experiences and see them. This method can help one appreciate and find relevance in learning physics.