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20 topics · Preschool to Grade 8

How measuring tools work

How does a clock keep time, and how can a doctor see inside your body without a cut? These topics explain the instruments that measure the world. Children compare an hourglass, a wind-up watch, a quartz crystal and an atomic clock, and see how time zones divide the day around the globe. They use tape measures, spirit levels, balance scales and micrometers, look through a microscope and follow a compass needle to north. Medical imaging gets clear, gentle explanations: X-rays, ultrasound and MRI scanners. Each topic has an animated explanation, a part-by-part look inside, a simulation to try and a challenge, at three levels from preschool to middle school.

  1. 1Watch it
  2. 2Look inside
  3. 3Try it
  4. 4Solve a challenge
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20 topics in Measuring & instruments

Measuring & instruments

#101 Measuring & instruments How do quartz clocks and digital watches keep time? Watch quartz vibrations become counted electrical pulses that advance clock hands or a digital display. #102 Measuring & instruments How do mechanical watches work without batteries? Wind a mainspring and follow energy through gears, an escapement, and a swinging balance wheel. #173 Measuring & instruments How does a spirit level show whether something is level? Tilt a model shelf and watch the bubble move within its curved vial. #174 Measuring & instruments How does a plumb bob show a vertical line? Hang a virtual weight beside walls and compare their alignment with the string. #175 Measuring & instruments How does a retractable tape measure work? Inspect the spring, spool, hook, and locking mechanism inside a transparent case. #176 Measuring & instruments How does a micrometer measure tiny differences? Turn a precision screw and connect its movement to readings on the scale. #177 Measuring & instruments How do balance scales compare masses? Add known masses to two pans and find combinations that balance the beam. #180 Measuring & instruments How does an hourglass measure time? Change opening size and sand quantity and compare the time needed to empty. #182 Measuring & instruments How does a mechanical pressure gauge work? Change pressure and watch a flexible sensing element move the dial's pointer. #391 Measuring & instruments How do microscopes reveal tiny details? Position a sample and adjust focus and magnification to reveal structures. #392 Measuring & instruments How do thermal cameras show heat patterns? Compare familiar objects in visible-light and simulated infrared images. #393 Measuring & instruments How do X-ray machines look inside objects? Send simulated X-rays through different materials and compare their resulting images. #394 Measuring & instruments How do ultrasound scanners create pictures? Send sound pulses into a model and build an image from returning echoes. #395 Measuring & instruments How does an MRI scanner see inside the body? Explore magnets, radio signals, and the assembly of image slices in a simplified scanner. #396 Measuring & instruments How do centrifuges separate samples? Spin balanced virtual samples and watch components separate according to physical properties. #397 Measuring & instruments How do digital scales measure weight? Place objects on a scale and follow sensor changes into a displayed measurement. #400 Measuring & instruments How does radar locate distant objects? Send radio pulses and use returning signals to estimate object positions. #476 Measuring & instruments How do atomic clocks keep accurate time? Use an atomic transition frequency to regulate a model clock and compare drift. #479 Measuring & instruments How does a magnetic compass find north? Rotate a compass in a model magnetic field and compare its direction with a map. #480 Measuring & instruments How do time zones work? Compare local clock readings around a globe and explore coordinated standard times.

Keep exploring

Games to play

  • Clock TowerKeep the town on time: set the tower clock's hands just right.
  • Mapmaker QuestFollow directions to make a map, then read its legend, compass rose and scale.
  • Data DetectiveRead the clues hidden in graphs — and build your own.

Guide for grown-ups

Science games by grade

Science worksheets by grade