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PlayOwl

Explore · Wonder · Discover

How Things Work

Ever wondered how airplanes fly, why popcorn pops or how your heart pumps? Pick a question, then watch it, look inside, try it, solve a challenge and go deeper. Every topic changes for Preschool, Elementary and Middle school.

  1. 1Watch it
  2. 2Look inside
  3. 3Try it
  4. 4Solve a challenge
  5. 5Go deeper

500 topics to explore · showing 97–120

Every topic

#97 Animals How do bats find their way in the dark? Send sound pulses through a dark virtual cave and interpret returning echoes. Use their timing and direction to locate obstacles and insects. #98 Animals How do spiders spin webs? Explore silk production and build an orb web using anchor lines, spokes, and a spiral. Touch different sections and watch vibrations travel. #99 Plants & ecosystems How do seeds travel to new places? Compare seeds carried by wind, water, animals, and bursting pods. Design virtual seeds and test how their shapes affect their journeys. #100 Animals How do coral reefs grow? Zoom into reef-building coral polyps and watch their skeletons accumulate over time. Explore how growing reefs provide shelter for many other living things. #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. #103 Forces & mechanisms How do levers help us lift heavy objects? Move the pivot point and compare the effort needed to lift different loads. #104 Forces & mechanisms How do pulleys make lifting easier? Thread ropes through virtual pulleys and compare pulling distance with lifting effort. #105 Forces & mechanisms How do ramps reduce lifting effort? Change a ramp's slope and compare pushing force, travel distance, and height gained. #106 Forces & mechanisms How do wedges split or separate materials? Push different wedge shapes into model materials and watch forces move the sides apart. #107 Forces & mechanisms How do screw threads hold things together? Turn screws with different thread spacing and compare forward movement and fastening action. #108 Forces & mechanisms How do gears change speed and direction? Connect different-sized gears and observe rotation speed, direction, and turning force. #109 Forces & mechanisms How do cams create repeating movements? Rotate differently shaped cams and watch connected parts rise, pause, and fall. #110 Forces & mechanisms How do ratchets allow movement in only one direction? Explore a toothed wheel and pawl, then build a mechanism that prevents backward movement. #111 Forces & mechanisms How do springs store and release energy? Stretch or compress virtual springs and compare the movement produced when released. #112 Forces & mechanisms How do ball bearings help wheels turn smoothly? Compare sliding surfaces with rolling bearings while moving the same load. #113 Forces & mechanisms How do flywheels keep machines running smoothly? Add a flywheel to a jerky mechanism and observe changes in rotational speed. #114 Forces & mechanisms How do mechanical linkages transfer movement? Connect pivoting bars and change their lengths to create different movements. #115 Forces & mechanisms How do belts transfer power between wheels? Link rotating wheels with belts and investigate speed changes, tension, and slipping. #116 Forces & mechanisms How do clutches connect and disconnect moving parts? Engage model friction plates to connect a spinning shaft to another mechanism. #117 Forces & mechanisms How do hydraulic systems multiply force? Connect different-sized pistons with liquid and compare force with distance traveled. #118 Forces & mechanisms How do pneumatic machines use compressed air? Route air through valves to extend and retract a model machine's piston. #119 Forces & mechanisms How do gyroscopes help maintain orientation? Spin a virtual rotor and investigate its response when its orientation changes. #120 Forces & mechanisms How do shock absorbers reduce bouncing? Drive over model bumps and adjust damping to control repeated bouncing.

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