Lab Supplies for Discover Physics

Where to Buy Supplies?

 1. Purchase the Discover Physics Lab Kit

Cornerstone Educational Supplies has created a lab kit for those who would like to complete all of the labs. We recommend students complete 15 of the 27 labs in the lab book that accompany this course. However, if you would like to do all or most of the labs, this is the most economical way to purchase the specialty lab supplies.

2. Purchase supplies a la carte:

Most families won’t complete all of the labs. For those who will be picking and choosing which labs or want to purchase just a few supplies at a time, use the links in the list below to purchase items a la carte from Home Science Tools. 

Lab Supplies on a Budget

We understand the budget constraints of many homeschoolers — purchasing curriculum and supplies often for multiple children can be pricey!

We recommend your students plan to watch all of the lab videos and complete at least 15 labs for high school credit. Be sure to have your students complete labs that accompany lessons 1 and 2 where we teach students how to write lab reports.

So how can you make this work on a tight budget? One great way you can stay within your budget constraints is by completing the labs that only require easily obtainable lab supplies and supplies you can probably find around your house.

Email for our list of the most affordable labs or check out the list of labs below to see what labs you already have supplies for.

Canadian Families

Please see this page for a special note on sourcing lab supplies. 

Lesson 16: Crash Carts: Conservation of
Momentum

• Spring scale
• 2 dynamics carts
• 50 g hooked mass
• Meterstick
• Stopwatch
• Video camera
• Masking tape
• 1 smooth wood board, approximate 22-24 in long x 5-6 in wide
• 1 smooth wood board, approximately 6 ft. long by 6 in wide

   

 Lesson 17: Conservation of Work: Comparing
Mass and Starting Height

• 1 smooth wood board (approximate 22-24 in long x 5-6 in wide)
• 1 smooth wood board (approximately 6 ft. long by 6 in wide)
• 1 dynamics cart
• 50 g mass
• Spring scale or kitchen scale
• Books for stacking
• Meterstick
• Stopwatch
• Video camera
• Masking tape 

Lesson 18: 

No lab

Lesson 19: Exploring Angular Acceleration of
Spheres & Cylinders

• 2 solid cylinders of different sizes and weights (smaller cans work best)
• 2 hollow cylinders of different sizes and weights (smaller empty cans work best)
• 2 hollow spheres of different sizes and weights (smaller balls work best, such as a ping pong ball)
• 2 solid spheres of different sizes and weights (smaller balls work best)
• 1 smooth wood board (approximately 6 ft. long by 6 in wide)
• Books for stacking
• Meterstick
• Stopwatch
• Video camera
• Masking tape
• Piece of string (long enough to wrap around each object)
• Spring scale or kitchen scale

Lesson 20: Exam 2  (NO LAB)

Lesson 21: Measuring Electrical Charge with
an Electroscope 

• Glass Rod
• Fur friction pad 
• Rubber rod 
• Silk friction pad 
• Rubber balloon
• Paper at least 8″ square  (newsprint if available) 
• Pith ball on a string
• Ruler

Lesson 22: The Voltage of Food

• Digital multimeter
• Zinc plate 
• Copper plate 
• Alligator clip wires
• Ruler
• Potato
• Onion
• Lemon
• Orange
• Dill pickle
• Sharpie marker

Lesson 23: Simple Circuit Investigation 

• 1 new AA battery
• Battery Holder for 1 AA Cell
• 2 Alligator Clips
• 4 Resistors (¼ watt resistors: 1.1 kOhm, 1.5 kOhm, 2.0 kOhm, 4.7 kOhm with a 1% tolerance level)
• E10 Mini Light Bulb 3.8 V
• Light Bulb Holder
• Digital Multimeter

Lesson 24: Building Series & Parallel Circuits

• 3 new AA batteries
• Battery holder for 3 AA cells
• 3 resistors (¼ watt resistors: 1.1 kOhm, 2.0 kOhm, 4.7 kOhm with a 1% tolerance level)
• 6 alligator clip wires
• Digital multimeter

Lesson 25: Plotting Magnetic Field Lines

• 2 -1.2 in ceramic bar magnets
• Small magnetic compass
• 5 large pieces of paper (at least 11”x15”)
• Fine tipped sharpie or flare pen
• Meterstick or ruler

Lesson 26: Testing Relative Magnetic Strength

• 1.2 inch ceramic bar magnet
• 3 New AA Batteries
• Battery holder for 3 AA cells
• 2 alligator clips
• 6 m of 28 gauge magnet wire
• Galvanized steel nail (3 – 3.5 in.)

Lesson 27: Exam 3 (NO LAB)

Lesson 28: Time Dilation Simulation

• Ruler with millimeter markings

Lesson 29:

No lab

Lesson 30: Simulating the Orbits of Planets

No supplies needed

Lesson 31: Decay Chain Activity

 No supplies needed

Lesson 32:

No lab 

Lesson 33: Wavelength & Interference Pattern Investigation

• Ruler with millimeter markings
• Laser pointer
• Diffraction grating (1000 lines/mm)
• Diffraction grating (500 lines/mm)
• Meterstick

• Optic bench supports

• Optic bench screen holder

• Optic bench lens holder (optional)

Lesson 34:

No lab

Lesson 35: Exam 3 (NO LAB)