Download Lesson #1 - Supercharged Science

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Introduction
GreetingsandwelcometotheunitonForces&Motion.Ihopeyouwillfindthishelpfulinpreparingtoteachyour
students,exhaustivelythoroughincontentandawholelotoffun,becausethat’swhenstudentsandteachersdo
theirbestwork.
Thiscurriculumcoursehasbeenpreparedtobecompletedoverseveralweeks,completing1‐2lessonsperweek.
Youwillfindthatthereare22lessonsoutlinedtotakeyoufromanintroductionofforcesonthroughseveral
advancedtopicsinmomentumcomplexenoughtowinaprizeatthesciencefair.Ifyoucompletethiscourseand
sendyourkidsoff,you’llfindtheirhighschoolteachersentirelyblownawaybytheirmasteryofthesubject,and
theywillreallybeabletoflywiththem.EachlessonhasaTeacherPageandaStudentWorksheet.
ThefollowingfeaturesoneachsetoftheTeacherPages:
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Overview:thisisthemaingoalofthelesson
SuggestedTime:makesureyouhaveenoughforcompletingthislesson
Objectives:thesearethecoreprinciplescoveredwiththislesson
Materials:Gatherthesebeforeyoustart
LabPreparation:Thisoutlinesanypreparationyouneedtodoaheadoftime
Lesson:Thisoutlineshowtopresentthetopictothestudents,stirsupinterestandgetsthestudents
motivatedtolearnthetopic
LabTime&Worksheets:Thisincludesactivities,experiments,andprojectsthatreinforcetheconceptsand
reallybringsthemtolife.You’llalsofindworksheetsthatmakeuptheirScientificJournal.
BackgroundLessonReading:Thisisoptionaladditionalreadingmaterialyoucanutilizeaheadoftimeto
helpyoufeelconfidentwhenthestudentsaskquestionsduringtheLabTime.Idon’trecommendgiving
thisreadingtothekidsbeforehand.Ifyoumustshareitwiththem,thendosoafterthestudentshave
gottenachancetorollaroundwiththeactivities.Doingthisteacheskidstoasktheirownquestionsby
gettingcuriousabouttheconceptsthroughtheexperiments,thewayrealscientistsdointherealworld.
Exercises&AnswerKey:Howwelldidyouteach?Howwelldidtheylearn?Timetofindout.
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestions
thattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmorescience
studiestoyourclasstime.
ImmediatelyfollowingtheTeacherPagesare“StudentWorksheets”foreachoftheactivities.Eachsetofstudent
worksheetshasthefollowingsections:
 Overview
 LabTime&Worksheets
 WhattoLearn
 Exercises
 Materials
Inadditiontothelessons,wehavealsopreparedthefollowingitemsyou’llfinduseful:
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ScientificMethodGuide
MasterMaterialsandEquipmentList
LabSafetySheet
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WrittenQuiz(withAnswerKey)
LabPracticalTest(withAnswerKey)
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MasterMaterialsListforAllLabs
Thisisabrieflistofthematerialsthatyouwillneedtodoalloftheactivities,experimentsandprojectsineach
section.Thesetofmaterialslistedbelowisjustforonelabgroup.Ifyouhaveaclassof10labgroups,you’llneedto
get10setsofthematerialslistedbelow.For10labgroups,aneasywaytokeeptrackofyourmaterialsistofill
eachtubwiththematerialslistedbelow,labelthetubswiththesectionname,likeForces&MotionStudyKitand
copytheselistsandsticktheminthebinforeasytracking.Feelfreetoreuseitemsbetweenlessonsandunit
sections.Mostmaterialsarereusableyearafteryear.(RS=RadioShack)
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Audioplug
(RadioShack#42‐2420)
Balloon
Blindfold
Blocks
Bookorlightclipboard
Bouncyball
Bowl
Businesscards(3)
Caps(4,likethetopsof
milkjugs)
Cereal
Clay
Coinsorpokerchips(2)
Compass
Cottonstring(3‐4feet)
Cup(plasticdisposable)
Discmagnet(1”donut‐
shapedmagnet)
(RadioShack#64‐1888)
Drillanddrillbits
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Earplugs
Eraser
Feather
Filmcanisterorsimilar
smallplasticcontainer
Foam(smallpiece)
Foamplate
Golfball
Hexnut
Hotgluegun
Indexcards
Magnet(1,disk)
Magnet(1,rectangular)
MagnetwireAWG30
(RadioShack#278‐
1345)
Magnets(4)
Measuringtape
Needle
Neodymiummagnets(4)
Paper
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Paperclip
Pencils(2)
Pingpongball
Popsiclestick(tongue
depressor‐sized)(5)
Rocks
Rubberbands(10,oneat
least1/4″wide)
Ruler
Scissors
Spoon
Stopwatch
Straws
String
Tape
Thread
Violinrosin(optional)
Wagon
Waterbottle
Woodskewer
Woodenclothespin
TABLEOFCONTENTS
Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................................................................2 MasterMaterialsListforAllLabs.....................................................................................................................................................................3 UnitPrep.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................6 LabSafety...................................................................................................................................................................................................................7 TeachingScienceRight.........................................................................................................................................................................................8 EducationalGoalsforForces&Motion1....................................................................................................................................................10 Lesson#1:BalloonRacers.................................................................................................................................................................................11 Lesson#2:LookOutBelow...............................................................................................................................................................................16 Lesson#3:DetectingtheElectricField........................................................................................................................................................20 Lesson#4:Newton’sFirstLawofMotion...................................................................................................................................................26 Lesson#5:Newton’sSecondLawofMotion.............................................................................................................................................30 Lesson#6:Newton’sThirdLawofMotion.................................................................................................................................................34 Lesson#7:BarrelRoof........................................................................................................................................................................................38 Lesson#8:BuildingBridges.............................................................................................................................................................................42 Lesson#9:WeightyIssue..................................................................................................................................................................................48 Lesson#10:ForeverFalling.............................................................................................................................................................................55 Lesson#11:RocketballLauncher..................................................................................................................................................................60 Lesson#12:DetectingtheMagneticField..................................................................................................................................................64 Lesson#13:FlyingPaperclip...........................................................................................................................................................................68 Lesson#14:Force‐fullCereal...........................................................................................................................................................................72 Lesson#15:EarTricks........................................................................................................................................................................................75 Lesson#16:HummingBalloon.......................................................................................................................................................................79 Lesson#17:Harmonica......................................................................................................................................................................................83 Lesson#19:AirHorn...........................................................................................................................................................................................91 Lesson#20:BestParent‐Annoyer.................................................................................................................................................................94 Lesson#21:SeeingSoundWaves..................................................................................................................................................................98 Lesson#22:BuildingSpeakers....................................................................................................................................................................105 ©2014SuperchargedScience
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Forces&MotionPart1Evaluation.............................................................................................................................................................111 Forces&MotionPart1Quiz..........................................................................................................................................................................114 Forces&MotionPart1LabPractical.........................................................................................................................................................116 TheScientificMethod.......................................................................................................................................................................................117 VocabularyfortheUnit....................................................................................................................................................................................119 ©2014SuperchargedScience
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UnitPrep
Thisisashortlistofthingsthatyoumaywanttoconsiderasyouprepareforthisunit.
StudentLabBooks:Ifyou’rethekindofteacherwholikestopreparelabbooksforyourkids,nowisagoodtime
todothis.YoucancopytheIntroductionforKidsandtheStudentWorksheetsforeachoftheexperiments,3‐hole
punchthem,andstickitinabinder.You’llwantonebinderperstudent.
ScienceJournals:Oneofthebestthingsyoucandowithyourstudentsistoteachthemhowtotakenotesina
journalasyougoalong.Thisisthesamewayscientistsdocumenttheirownfindings,andit’salotoffuntolook
backatthesplatteredpageslateronandseehowfaryou’vecome.Ialwaysjotdownmyquestionsthatdidn’tget
answeredwiththeexperimentacrossthetopofthepagesoIcanresearchthesetopicsmore.
MasterSetofMaterials:Ifyouplanondoingallthelabsinthisunit,you’llwanttostartgatheringyourmaterials
together.There’samastermaterialslistsoyou’llhaveeverythingyouneedwhenyouneedit.
TestCopies:Studentswilltaketwotestsattheendofeachsection.Therearequizzesandlabpracticaltestsyou
cancopyandstashawayforwhenyouneedthem.
ClassroomDesign:Asyouprogressthroughtheunits,you’llbemakingdemosoftheexperimentsandkidswillbe
makingposters.Youcanhangtheseuponyourbulletinboards,stringthemfromtheceiling,ordisplaythemina
uniqueway.Ialwaysliketosnapphotosofthekidsdoingtheirexperimentsandhangthoseupalongwiththeir
bestlabssotheycanseetheirprogressaswegoalong.
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LabSafety
Goggles:Theseshouldbewornwhenworkingwithchemicals,heat,fire,orprojectiles.Theseprotectyoureyes
fromchemicalsplatter,explosions,andtinyfast‐movingobjectsaimedattheeyes.Ifyouwearglasses,youcanfind
gogglesthatfitoverthem.Don’tsubstituteeyeglassesforgoggles,becauseofthelackofsideprotection.Eyeglasses
don’tprovidethisimportantsideeyeprotection.
CleanupMesses:Yourlabareashouldbeneat,organized,andspotlessbeforeyoustart,duringyourexperiment,
andwhenyouleave.Scientistswastemoretimehuntingforlostpapers,piecesofanexperiment,andtryingto
repositionsensitiveequipment…allofwhichcouldhaveeasilybeenavoidedhadtheybeentaughtorganizational
skillsfromthestart.
DisposeofPoisons:Ifapoisonoussubstancewasused,created,orproducedduringyourexperiment,youmust
followtheproperhandlingproceduresfordisposal.You’llfinddetailsforthisintheexperimentsasneeded.
SpecialNotesonBatteries:Donotusealkalinebatterieswithyourexperiments.Findthesuper‐cheapkindof
batteries(usuallylabeled“HeavyDuty”or“SuperHeavyDuty”)becausethesetypesofbatterieshaveacarbon‐zinc
core,whichdoesnotcontaintheacidthatalkalinebatterieshave.Thismeanswhenyouwireupcircuitsincorrectly
(whichyoushouldexpecttodobecauseyouarelearning),thecircuitswillnotoverheatorleak.Ifyouusealkaline
batteries(likeEnergizerandDuracell)andyourstudentsshortacircuit,theirwiresandcomponentswillget
super‐hotandleakacid,whichisverydangerous.
NoEatingorDrinkingintheLab:Allfoodsanddrinksarebannedfromyourclassroomduringscience
experimentation.Whenyoueatordrink,youruntheveryrealriskofingestingpartofyourexperiment.For
electricityandmagnetismlabs,alwayswashyourhandsafterthelabisovertorinseofftheleadfromtheelectrical
components.
NoHorsePlay:Whenyougoofaround,accidentshappen,whichmeanschemicalsspill,circuitsshort,andallkinds
ofhazardscanoccurthatyouweren’texpecting.Neverthrowanythingtoanotherpersonandbecarefulwhereyou
putyourhands–itcouldbeinthemiddleofasensitiveexperiment,especiallywithmagnetismandelectricity.You
don’twanttoruntheriskofgettingshockedorelectrifiedwhenit’snotpartofyourexperiment.
Fire:Ifyouthinkthere’safireintheroom(evenifyou’renotsure),letyourteacherknowrightaway.Iftheyare
notaround(theyalwaysshouldbe),smotherthefirewithafireblanketoruseafireextinguisherandsend
someonetofindanadult.Stop,drop,androll!
Questions:Ifyou’renotsureaboutsomethingstopandask,nomatterwhatit’sabout.Ifyoudon’tknowhowto
properlyhandleachemical,dopartofanexperiment,ask!Ifyou’renotcomfortabledoingpartoftheexperiment,
thendon’tdoit.
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TeachingScienceRight
TheseactivitiesandexperimentswillgiveyouatasteofhowsciencecanbetotallycoolANDeducational.But
teachingscienceisn’talwayseasy.There’salotmoretoitthanmosttraditionalsciencebooksandprograms
accomplish.Ifyourstudentsdon’trememberthesciencetheylearnedlastyear,youhaveaproblem.
Whatdokidsreallyneedtoknowwhenitcomestoscience?Kidswhohaveasolidscienceandtechnology
backgroundarebetterequippedtogotocollege,andwillhavemanymorechoicesoncetheygetoutintothereal
world.
Learningscienceisn’tjustamatterofmemorizingfactsandtheories.Onthecontrary,it’sdevelopingadeep
curiosityabouttheworldaroundus,ANDhavingasetoftoolsthatletskidsexplorethatcuriositytoanswertheir
questions.Teachingscienceinthiskindofwayisn'tjustamatterofputtingtogetheratextbookwithafewscience
experimentsandkits.
Scienceeducationisathree‐stepprocess(andImeanteachingscienceinawaythatyourstudentswillreally
understandandremember).
Herearethesteps:
1.Getkidsgenuinelyinterestedandexcitedaboutatopic.
2.Givethemhands‐onactivitiesandexperimentstomakethetopicmeaningful.
3.Teachthesupportingacademicsandtheory.
Mostsciencebooksandcurriculumjustfocusonthethirdstepandmaythrowinanexperimentortwoasan
afterthought.Thisjustisn’thowstudentslearn.Whenyouprovideyourstudentswiththesethreekeys(inorder),
youcangiveyourstudentsthekindofscienceeducationthatnotonlyexcitesthem,butthattheyrememberfor
manyyearstocome.
Sowhatdoyoudo?First,don’tworry.It’snotsomethingthattakesyearsandyearstodo.Itjusttakes
commitment.
Whatifyoudon’thavetime?WhatI’mabouttodescribecantakeabitoftimeasateacher,butitdoesn’thaveto.
Thereisawaytoshortcuttheprocessandgetthesameresults!ButI’lltellyoumoreaboutthatinaminute.First,
letmetellyouhowtodoittherightway:
PuttingItintoAction
Stepone:Getstudentsgenuinelyinterestedandexcitedaboutatopic.Startbydecidingwhattopicyouwantyour
studentstolearn.Then,you’regoingtogetthemreallyinterestedinit.Forexample,supposeIwantmyfifth‐
gradestudentstolearnaboutaerodynamics.I’llarrangeforthemtowatchavideoofwhatit’sliketogoupina
smallplane,orevenfindsomeonewhoisapilotandcancometalkwiththekids.Thisisthekindofexperience
thatwillreallyexcitethem.
Steptwo:Giveyourstudentshands‐onactivitiesandexperimentstomakethetopicmeaningful.ThisiswhereI
takethatexcitementandletthemexploreit.Ihaveflyinglessonvideos,airplanebooks,andrealpilotsinteract
withmystudents.I’llalsoshowvideosonhowpilotsplanforaflight.Mystudentswilllearnaboutnavigation,
figuringouthowmuchfuelisneededfortheflight,howtheweighttheplanecarriesaffectstheaerodynamicsofit,
andsomuchmore.(AnddidIjustseeaspotforafuturemathlessonalso?)I’llusepilottrainingvideostohelpus
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figurethisout(shortofalivedemo,avideoisincrediblypowerfulforlearningwhenusedcorrectly).
Mystudentsareincrediblyexcitedatthispointaboutanythingthathastodowithairplanesandflying.Theyare
allpositivetheywanttobepilotssomedayandarealreadywantingflyinglessons(remember‐theyareonlyfifth‐
graders!).
Stepthree:Teachthesupportingacademicsandtheory.Now,it’stimetointroduceacademics.Honestly,Ihave
mypickofsomanytopics,becauseflyingincludessomanydifferentfields.Imeanmystudentsuseanglesand
mathinflightplanning,mechanicsandenergyinhowtheengineworks,electricityinalltheequipmentonboard
theplane,andofcourse,aerodynamicsinkeepingtheplaneintheair(tonamejustafew).
I’mgoingtousethisasthefoundationtoteachtheacademicsideofallthetopicsthatareappropriate.Westart
withaerodynamics.Theylearnaboutliftanddrag,makepaperandbalsa‐woodglidersandexperimentby
changingdifferentparts.Theycalculatehowbigthewingsneedtobetocarrymoreweight(jellybeans)andthen
trytheirmodelswithbiggerwings.Thenwemoveontothegeometryusedinnavigation.Insteadofdrawing
anglesonablanksheetofpaper,ourworkspaceismadeofairplanemaps(freefromtheairport).We’reactually
planningpartofthenextflightmystudentswill“take”duringtheirgeographylesson.Suddenly,anglesarealot
moreinteresting.Infact,itturnsoutthatweneedabitoftrigonometrytofigureoutsomethings.
Ofcourse,a10‐yearoldcan’tdotrigonometry,right?Wrong!Theyhavenoideathatit’susuallyforhighschool
andlearnaboutcosinesandtangents.Throughoutthis,I’mgivingthemchancestotalkwiththepilotinclass,
sharewhatthey’velearnedwitheachother,andevenplanarealflight.Howcoolisthattoakid?
Thekeyistofocusonbuildinginterestandexcitementfirst,andthentheacademicsareeasytogetstudentsto
learn.Trystartingwiththeacademicsand...well,we’veallhadtheexperienceoftryingtogetkidsdosomething
theydon’treallywanttodo.
TheShortcut:Okay,sothismightsoundlikeit’stime‐intensive.Ifyou’rethinking“Ijustdon’thavethetimetodo
this!”Ormaybe“Ijustdon’tunderstandsciencewellenoughmyselftoteachittomystudentsatthatlevel.”Ifthis
isyou,you’renotalone.
Thegoodnewsis,youdon’thaveto.Theshortcutistofindsomeonewhoalreadyspecializesintheareayouwant
yourstudentstolearnaboutandexposethemtotheexcitementthatthepersongetsfromthefield.Then,instead
ofyoubeingtheonetoinventanentirelynewcurriculumofhands‐onactivitiesandacademics,useasolidscience
programorcurriculum(livevideos,notcartoons).Thiswillprovidethemwithboththehands‐onexperimentsand
theacademicbackgroundtheyneed.
Ifyouuseaprogramthatisself‐guided(thatis,itguidesyouandyourstudentsthroughitstep‐by‐step),youdon’t
needtobehassledwiththepreparation.That’swhatthisunitisintendedtodoforyouandyourstudents.This
programusesthesecomponentsandmatchesyoureducationalgoalssetbystatestandards.
Thisunitimplementsthethreekeystepswejusttalkedaboutanddoesthisallforyou.Myhopeisthatyounow
havesomenewtoolsinyourteachingtoolboxtogiveyourstudentsthebeststartyoucan.Iknowit’slikeawild
rollercoasterridesomedays,butIalsoknowit’sworthit.Havenodoubtthatthatthecaringandattentionyou
givetoyourstudents’educationtodaywillpayoffmanifoldinthefuture.
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EducationalGoalsforForce&Motion1
We’regoingtostudyvelocity,acceleration,forces,andNewton’sthreelawsofmotioninthissection.You’llgetto
throwthings,buildg‐forceaccelerometers,andmuchmoreasyouuncoverthebasisofallphysicsinourcrash‐
courseinprojectilemotion.Buildballoonracers,detectelectricfields,constructabridgethatholdsmorethan400
timesitsownweight,floathovercraftonbothlandandwater,createarocketcar,measuretheEarth’smagnetic
pulseandsomuchmore.
Herearethescientificconcepts:
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Anobject’smotioncanbedescribedbyrecordingthechangeinitspositionovertime.
Foranypairofinteractingobjects,theforceexertedbythefirstobjectonthesecondobjectisequalin
strengthtotheforcethatthesecondobjectexertsonthefirst,butintheoppositedirection(Newton’sThird
Law).
Electricandmagneticforcesbetweenapairofobjectsdonotrequiretheobjectsbeincontact.Thesizeof
theforcesdependsonthepropertiesoftheobjects,theirdistanceapart,andinthecaseofmagnets,their
orientation.
Gravitationalforcesarealwaysattractive.Thereisagravitationalforcebetweenanytwomasses,butitis
verysmallexceptwhenoneorbothoftheobjectshavelargemass—e.g.,Earthandthesun.
Bytheendofthelabsinthisunit,studentswillbeableto:
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Makeobservationsandmeasurementsonanobject’smotiontofigureoutthepredictablepatternof
motion.
Designanexperimentthatshowswhenthearrangementsofobjectsinteractingatadistancechanges,
differentamountsofpotentialenergyarestoredinthesystem.
Showthatwhenthemotionenergyofanobjectchanges,energyistransferredtoorfromtheobject.
Showthatgravitationalinteractionsareattractiveanddependonthemassesoftheobjects.
Differentiateobservationfrominference(interpretation)andknowscientists’explanationscomepartly
fromwhattheyobserveandpartlyfromhowtheyinterprettheirobservations.
Measureandestimatetheweight,lengthandvolumeofobjects.
Formulateandjustifypredictionsbasedoncause‐and‐effectrelationships.
Conductmultipletrialstotestapredictionanddrawconclusionsabouttherelationshipsbetween
predictionsandresults.
Constructandinterpretgraphsfrommeasurements.
Followasetofwritteninstructionsforascientificinvestigation.
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Lesson#1:BalloonRacers
TeacherSection
Overview:We’regoingtoexperimentwithNewton’sThirdlawbyblowingupballoonsandlettingthemrocket,
race,andzoomallovertheplace.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnhowthemotionofobjectscanbeobservedandmeasured.
Materials(perlabgroup)
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balloons
string
woodskewer
twostraws
caps(4,likethetopsofmilkjugs,filmcanisters,oranythingelseroundandplasticaboutthesizeofa
quarter)
woodenclothespin
stiffcardboard(orfourpopsiclesticks)
hotgluegun
meteroryardstick
stopwatch
LabPreparation
1.
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4.
Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
Blowupaballoonandsecuretheendwithaclothespinorpapercliptoholditclosed.
BackgroundLessonReading
Whenyoufirstblowupaballoon,you’repressurizingtheinsideoftheballoonbyaddingmoreairfromyourlungs
intotheballoon.Becausetheballoonismadeofstretchyrubber,likearubberband,itwantstosnapbackintothe
smallestshapepossibleassoonasitgetsthechance,whichusuallyhappenswhentheairescapesthroughthe
nozzlearea.Whenthishappens,theairinsidetheballoonflowsinonedirectionwhiletheballoonzipsoffinthe
other.
Haveyouevernoticedhowtheballooncrazilyzipsallovertheplacewhenyouletgo?Whyisthat?
Theballoonzigzagsalloverbecauseofsomethingcalled”thrustvectoring,”whichmeansthedirectionofthe
balloonchangesdependingontheanglethatthenozzlemakesattheend(thepartyoublewinto).
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Thinkofafirehose.There’salotofwaterrushingoutoftheendofafirehose,right?Afirehosenotonlyhashigh‐
speedwaterrushingout,butthere’salsoalotofvolumeinafirehose.Howeasydoyouthinkitwouldbetotryto
changethedirectionofallthatwater?You’dactuallyfeela“kick”backfromthewaterwhenyoutriedtoangle
aroundafirehoseoperatingatfullblast.That“kick”isthesamereactionforcethatpropelsbothballoonsand
fighteraircraftintotheiraerobatictricks.
Newton’sThirdLawofMotionstatesthatforeveryaction,thereisanequalandoppositereaction.These
experimentsareagreatdemonstrationofNewton’sThirdLaw.Theairinsidetheballoonshootsoffinone
direction,andtheballoonitselfrocketsintheoppositedirection.
It’salsoagoodopportunitytobringupsomesciencehistory.Manyfolksusedtobelievethatitwouldbe
impossibleforsomethingtogotothemoon,becauseoncesomethinggotintospacetherewouldbenoairforthe
rocketenginetopushagainstandsotherocketcouldnot“push”itselfforward.
Inotherwords,thosefolkswouldhavesaidthataballoonshootsalongthestringbecausetheaircomingoutofthe
balloonpushesagainsttheairintheroom.Theballoongetspushedforward.Younowknowthatthat’ssilly!What
makestheballoonmoveforwardisthemereactionoftheairmovingbackward.Everyactionhasanequaland
oppositereaction.
Lesson
1. Withtheblown‐up,butsecured,balloon–removetheclothespinorpaperclip.Holditclosed,thenletitgo
andwatchitzoomaroundtheroom.YoumightchooseNOTtotellyourstudentsthatyou’regoingtodo
this.Asyoumightimagine,it’sagreatattention‐getter!
2. Askyourstudentswhytheballoonshootsallaroundtheroom.Doesanyoneknowwhatlawit
demonstrates?Newton’sThirdLawofMotion–itstatesthatforeveryaction,thereisanequaland
oppositereaction.
3. Forcescomeinpairs.Eachtimetwoobjectinteract,there’sapairofforceswhichhaveequalbutopposite
actionandreaction. 4. Canyourstudentsidentifytheactionandreactioninyourexample?Theactionisthattheairrushesoutof
theballoonandthereactionisthattheballoonmovesintheoppositedirection.
5. Itdoesn’treallymatterwhichoftheseisidentifiedastheaction/reaction,astheyaresimultaneous.That’s
abigword–canyourstudentstellyouwhatitmeans?Itmeansthatthesethingshappenatthesametime.
Bothoftheforcesareapartofoneinteraction,andoneforcecouldnotexistwithouttheotherone.
6. Intoday’sexperiment,we’llplayaroundwithNewton’sThirdLawandmorethoroughlytestouthowit
workswithballoons.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
3. First,let’sexperimentwiththeballoon.Blowuptheballoon(don’ttieit),thenletitgo.
4. Tieoneendofthestringtoachair.
5. Blowuptheballoon(don’ttieit).
6. Tapeastrawtoitsothatoneendofthestrawisatthefrontoftheballoonandtheotherisatthenozzleof
theballoon.
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7. Threadthestringthroughthestrawandpullthestringtightacrossyourroom.
8. Letgo.Withalittlebitofwork(unlessyougotitthefirsttime)youshouldbeabletogettheballoonto
shootabouttenfeetalongthestring.
Exercises
1. WhatisNewton’sThirdLawofMotion?(Foreveryaction,thereisanequalandoppositereaction.)
2. Whydoestheballoonstopalongthestring?(Frictionbetweenthestringandstraw.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#1:BalloonRacers
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:We’regoingtoexperimentwithNewton’sThirdLawbyblowingupballoonsandlettingthemrocket,
race,andzoomallovertheplace.Whenyoufirstblowupaballoon,you’repressurizingtheinsideoftheballoonby
addingmoreairfromyourlungsintotheballoon.Becausetheballoonismadeofstretchyrubber,likearubber
band,itwantstosnapbackintothesmallestshapepossibleassoonasitgetsthechance,whichusuallyhappens
whentheairescapesthroughthenozzlearea.Whenthishappens,theairinsidetheballoonflowsinonedirection
whiletheballoonzipsoffintheother.
WhattoLearn:Themotionofobjectscanbeobservedandmeasured.
Materials










balloons
string
woodskewer
twostraws
caps(4,likethetopsofmilkjugs,filmcanisters,oranythingelseroundandplasticaboutthesizeofa
quarter)
woodenclothespin
stiffcardboard(orfourpopsiclesticks)
hotgluegun
meteroryardstick
stopwatch
LabTime
1. Blowuptheballoon(don’ttieit),thenletitgo.Wheee!Okay,sothatstepwastogettheballoonreadyfor
theexperiment.Now…
2. Tieoneendofthestringtoachair.
3. Blowuptheballoon(don’ttieit).
4. Tapeastrawtoitsothatoneendofthestrawisatthefrontoftheballoonandtheotherisatthenozzleof
theballoon.
5. Threadthestringthroughthestrawandpullthestringtightacrossyourroom.
6. Letgo.Withalittlebitofwork(unlessyougotitthefirsttime)youshouldbeabletogettheballoonto
shootabouttenfeetalongthestring.
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BalloonRacerDataTable
Trial
NumberofBreaths
toBlowUpBalloon
HowFarDidItGo?
(measureinfeetormeters)
HowLongDidItTake?
(measureinseconds)
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. WhatisNewton’sThirdLawofMotion?
2. Whydoestheballoonstopalongthestring?
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Lesson#2:LookOutBelow
TeacherSection
Overview:Ifyoujumpedoutofanairplane,howfastwouldyoufall?What’sthegreatestspeedyouwouldreach?
Let’spracticefiguringthisoutwithoutjumpingoutofaplane.Thisexperimentwillhelpyougettheconceptof
velocitybyallowingyoutomeasuretherateoffallofseveralobjects.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnhowanobject'smotioncanbedescribedbyrecordingthechangeinitsposition
overtime.Changesinvelocitycanbechangesinspeed,direction,orboth.
Materials(perlabgroup)



stopwatch
feathers(orsmallpiecesofpaper,aplasticbag–anythinglightandfluffy)
tapemeasure
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Speedtellsushowfastanobjectistraveling,butvelocityaddsanothervariable.Velocityisthespeedofanobject
ANDthedirectioninwhichit’smoving.Forconstantvelocity,boththespeedofanobjectanditsdirectionmustbe
constant.Accelerationoccurswhenvelocityincreasesanddecelerationisadecreaseinvelocity.
Inthisexperiment,youwillseehowmanyofyourobjectsstopacceleratingveryquickly.Inotherwords,they
reachtheirterminalvelocitysoonafteryouletthemgoandtheywillfallallthewaytothegroundatthatsame
constantvelocity.Thisiswhyaparachuteisaskydiver’sbestfriend!Ahumanhasadecentamountofair
resistance,butheorshecanreachavelocityof120mphifdroppedfromagreatheight.Theparachuteincreases
theairresistancesothattheterminalvelocityofthatskydiverisquiteabitsafer!
Lesson
1. Dropapenorpencilonatable(thisworksparticularlywellifyourstudentsaren’tpayingattention!)
2. Askstudentshowthey’dmeasurehowthependropped.
3. Someoneislikelytomentionspeed.Explainthatthevelocityofafallingobjectaddsanothervariable–
velocityisthespeedofanobjectinadditiontothedirectioninwhichittravels.
4. Accelerationoccurswhenvelocityincreases.Askstudentswhattheythinkit’scalledwhenthere’sa
decreaseinvelocity.(Thisisdeceleration.)
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5. Terminalvelocityhappenswhenafallingobjectisnolongeracceleratingordecelerating–it’sreacheda
constantvelocity.
6. Whenaskydiverusesaparachute,theairresistanceisaforcewhichdeceleratesthejumper.Thisisagood
thing,becauseaskydiver’sterminalvelocityisprettyfast!Theycertainlywouldn’twanttohittheground
atterminalvelocity.
7. We’llfurtherexploreconceptsofvelocityinthisexperiment.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
3. Getfiveorsodifferentlightandfluffyobjects.Feathersofdifferentsize,smallstripsofpaper,partsofa
plasticbag,cottonballs,whateverishandy.
4. Makeapredictionbywritingdowntheobjectsyouchoseinorderofhowfastyouthinktheywillfall.
5. Dropthedifferentitemsandtimethemfromthemomentyouletgotothemomenttheyhittheground.Be
suretodropeachitemfromaboutthesameheight.Thehigherthebetter.Justbesurenottofalloff
anything!Wedon’twanttomeasureyourvelocity!
6. Dropindividualitemstwoorthreetimestogetanaveragetime.
7. Nowcomparetheitems.Whichonefelltheleastamountoftime(droppedthefastest)?Whichonefellthe
mostamountoftime(droppedtheslowest)?Recordyourresults.Bytheway,didyoufindanythingthat
droppedslowerthanafeather?Ihaveseenveryfewthingsthattakelongertofallstraightdownthana
feather.
Exercises
1. Whatisvelocity?(It’sthemeasureofspeedcombinedwiththedirectionanobjectistraveling.)
2. Howdoaccelerationanddecelerationrelatetovelocity?(Accelerationisanincreaseinvelocity;
decelerationisadecreaseinvelocity.)
3. Howdoweknowwhenanobjecthasreachedterminalvelocity?(Thisoccurswhenanobjecthasreacheda
constantvelocityandisnolongeracceleratingordecelerating.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#2:LookOutBelow
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Ifyoujumpoutofanairplane,howfastwouldyoufall?What’sthegreatestspeedyouwouldreach?
Let’spracticefiguringitoutwithoutjumpingoutofaplane.
Thisexperimentwillhelpyougettheconceptofvelocitybyallowingyoutomeasuretherateoffallofseveral
objects.
WhattoLearn:Inthisexperiment,learnhowanobject'smotioncanbedescribedbyrecordingthechangeinits
positionovertime.Changesinvelocitycanbechangesinspeed,direction,orboth.
Materials



stopwatch
feathers(orsmallpiecesofpaper,aplasticbag–anythinglightandfluffy)
tapemeasure
LabTime
1. Getfiveorsodifferentlightandfluffyobjects.Feathersofdifferentsize,smallstripsofpaper,partsofa
plasticbag,cottonballs,whateverishandy.
2. Makeapredictionbywritingdowntheobjectsyouchoseinorderofhowfastyouthinktheywillfall.
3. Dropthedifferentitemsandtimethemfromthemomentyouletgotothemomenttheyhittheground.Be
suretodropeachitemfromaboutthesameheight.Thehigherthebetter.Justbesurenottofalloff
anything!Wedon’twanttomeasureyourvelocity!!
4. Dropindividualitemstwoorthreetimestogetanaveragetime.
5. Nowcomparetheitems.Whichonefelltheleastamountoftime(droppedthefastest)?Whichonefellthe
mostamountoftime(droppedtheslowest)?Recordyourresults.Bytheway,didyoufindanythingthat
droppedslowerthanafeather?Ihaveseenveryfewthingsthattakelongertofallstraightdownthana
feather.
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LookOutBelowDataTable
TrialNumber
Object
Time(seconds)
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whatisvelocity?
2. Howdoaccelerationanddecelerationrelatetovelocity?
3. Howdoweknowwhenanobjecthasreachedterminalvelocity?
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Lesson#3:DetectingtheElectricField
TeacherSection
Overview:Youareactuallyfairlyfamiliarwithelectricfields,too,butyoumaynotknowit.Haveyoueverrubbed
yourfeetagainstthefloorandthenshockedyourbrotherorsister?Haveyoueverzippeddownaplasticslideand
noticedthatyourhairisstickingstraightupwhenyougettothebottom?Bothofthesephenomenaarecausedby
electricfields,andtheyareeverywhere!
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnthewaytochangehowsomethingismovingistogiveitapushorapull.Thesizeof
thechangeisrelatedtothestrength,ortheamountof"force,"ofthepushorpull.
Materials(perlabgroup)




headofhair
balloon
yardstickormeterstick
spoon,large
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Electricfieldsareextremelycommon.Ifyoucombyourhairwithaplasticcomb,youcausethatcombtohavea
smallelectricfield.Whenyoutakeoffafleecejacketorapolyestersweatshirt,youcreateanelectricfieldthatmay
bethousandsofvolts!Don’tworry,youcan’tgethurt.Theremaybelotsofvoltagebuttherewillbeverylittle
amperage.It’stheamperagethatactuallyhurtsyou.
Differentpartsoftheatomhavedifferentelectricalcharges.Theprotonhasapositivecharge,theneutronhasno
charge(neutron,neutralgetit?)andtheelectronhasanegativecharge.
Thesechargesrepelandattractoneanotherkindoflikemagnetsrepelorattract.Likechargesrepel(pushaway)
oneanotherandunlikechargesattractoneanother.
Soiftwoitemsthatarebothnegativelychargedgetclosetooneanother,thetwoitemswilltrytogetawayfrom
oneanother.Iftwoitemsarebothpositivelycharged,theywilltrytogetawayfromoneanother.Ifoneitemis
positiveandtheothernegative,theywilltrytocometogether.
Howdothingsgetcharged?Generallythingsareneutrallycharged.Theyaren’tverypositiveornegative.
However,occasionally(oronpurposeaswe’llseelater)thingscangainacharge.
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Thingsgetchargedwhenelectronsmove.Electronsarenegativelychargedparticles.Soifanobjecthasmore
electronsthanitusuallydoes,thatobjectwouldhaveanegativecharge.
Ifanobjecthaslesselectronsthanprotons(positivecharges),itwouldhaveapositivecharge.Howdoelectrons
move?Itturnsoutthatelectronscanbekindofloosey‐goosey.
Dependingonthetypeofatomtheyareapartof,theyarequitewillingtojumpshipandgosomewhereelse.The
waytogetthemtojumpshipistorubthingstogether.Let’splaywiththisabitandseeifwecanmakeitmore
clear.
Remember,instaticelectricity,electronsarenegativelychargedandtheycanmovefromoneobjecttoanother.
Thismovementofelectronscancreateapositivecharge(ifsomethinghastoofewelectrons)oranegativecharge
(ifsomethinghastoomanyelectrons).Itturnsoutthatelectronswillalsomovearoundinsideanobjectwithout
necessarilyleavingtheobject.Whenthishappens,theobjectissaidtohaveatemporarycharge.
Trythis:Blowupaballoon.Whenyourubtheballoononyourhead,theballoonisfilledupwithextraelectrons,
andnowhasanegativecharge.Nowstickittoawall—tocreateatemporarychargeonthewall.
Oppositechargesattract,right?So,istheentirewallnowanoppositechargefromtheballoon?No.Infact,thewall
isnotchargedatall.Itisneutral.Sowhydidtheballoonsticktoit?
Theballoonisnegativelycharged.Itcreatedatemporarypositivechargewhenitgotclosetothewall.Asthe
balloongetsclosertothewall,itrepelstheelectronsinthewall.Thenegativelychargedelectronsinthewallare
repelledfromthenegativelychargedelectronsintheballoon.
Sincetheelectronsarerepelled,whatisleftbehind?Positivecharges.Thesectionofwallthathashaditselectrons
repelledisnowleftpositivelycharged.Thenegativelychargedballoonwillnow“stick”tothepositivelycharged
wall.Thewallistemporarilychargedbecauseonceyoumovetheballoonaway,theelectronswillgobacktowhere
theywereandtherewillnolongerbeachargeonthatpartofthewall.
Thisiswhyplasticwrap,Styrofoampackingpopcorn,andsocksrightoutofthedryersticktothings.Allthose
thingshavechargesandcancreatetemporarychargesonthingstheygetcloseto.
Lesson
1. Showyourstudentsaballoon.Askhowyoucanuseittocreateaforce.
2. Balloonscanbeusedtogenerateanelectricalfield.Anelectricfieldexistswhenatleastonebodyis
electricallycharged.
3. Askyourstudentshowtochargetheballoon.Explainthatallatomsarefilledwithpositivelycharged
protonsandnegativelychargedelectrons.Ifanobjecthasmoreelectronsthanprotons,itwillbenegatively
chargedandifithasfewerelectronsthanprotons,itwillbepositivelycharged.
4. Electricfields,likemagneticfields,canattractandrepel.Iftwobodieshavethesamekindofcharge,thatis
eitherbotharenegativeorbotharepositive,theywillpushthemselvesawayfromeachother.Ifonebody
hasapositivechargeandtheotherhasanegativecharge,theywillattracteachother.Chargedbodiescan
alsoattractbodiesthatareneitherpositivenornegativebutarejustneutral.
5. Electricfieldsareextremelycommon.Canyourstudentsthinkofothersimplewayswecancreatethem?
(Hint:mostworkbetterinthewinterwhenairisdrier.)
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LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
3. Blowupaballoonandtieitoff.
4. Putthespoononthetableandbalancetheyardstickontopofit,overhangingtheedgeofthetable.
5. Chargetheballoonbyrubbingitonyourhair.
6. Bringthechargedballoonnexttotheruleranduseittoguidethestickaroundonthetable.Iftheeffect
weakens,rechargetheballoononyourhair.
7. Thisworksreallywellwhenyouaddmorepeopleandmoreballoons!
Exercises
1. Whathappensifyourubtheballoononotherthings,likeawoolsweater?(You’llchargetheballoonwitha
positivechargeinsteadofanegativecharge.)
2. Ifyoupositionotherpeoplewithchargedballoonsaroundthetable,canyoukeeptheyardstickgoing?
(Yes!)
3. Canweseeelectrons?(Nope!)
4. Howdoyougetridofextraelectrons?(Touchsomethingthat’sgrounded,likeametalpipethat’spartly
buriedintheground.)
5. Doestheshapeoftheballoonmatter?(Notreally.)
6. Doeshaircolormatter?(I’vefoundthatcolorandtexturedo!)
7. Rubaballoononyourhead,andthenliftitupabout6”.Whyisthehairattractedtotheballoon?(The
negativechargeontheballoonisattractedtothepositivechargeonthehair.)
8. Whydoesthehaircontinuetostandonendaftertheballoonistakenaway?(Theballoonbroughtthe
positivechargestothesurface,sonoweachhairhaslittlepositivechargesalloverthesurface,makingeach
hairstrandrepeleachother.)
9. Whatotherthingsdoestheballoonsticktobesidesthewall?(You,thewooddesk,anythingthatisagood
insulator.)
10. Whydoyouthinktheyardstickmoved?(Thenegativechargeontheballoonattractedthepositivecharge
ontheyardstick.)
11. Whatotherthingsareattractedorrepelledthesamewaybytheballoon?(Hint:tryapingpongball.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#3:DetectingtheElectricalField
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Youareactuallyfairlyfamiliarwithelectricfields,too,butyoumaynotknowit.Haveyoueverrubbed
yourfeetagainstthefloorandthenshockedyourbrotherorsister?Haveyoueverzippeddownaplasticslideand
noticedthatyourhairisstickingstraightupwhenyougettothebottom?Bothofthesephenomenaarecausedby
electricfieldsandtheyareeverywhere!
WhattoLearn:Thewaytochangehowsomethingismovingistogiveitapushorapull.Thesizeofthechangeis
relatedtothestrength,ortheamountof"force,"ofthepushorpull.
Materials




headofhair
balloon
yardstickormeterstick
spoon,large
LabTime
1.
2.
3.
4.
Blowupaballoonandtieitoff.
Putthespoononthetableandbalancetheyardstickontopofit,overhangingtheedgeofthetable.
Chargetheballoonbyrubbingitonyourhair.
Bringthechargedballoonnexttotheruleranduseittoguidethestickaroundonthetable.Iftheeffect
weakens,rechargetheballoononyourhair.
5. Thisworksreallywhenyouaddmorepeopleandmoreballoons!
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DetectingtheElectricalFieldDataTable
Item/Object
DidItStick?
HowLongDidItStick?
(measureinseconds)
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whathappensifyourubtheballoononotherthings,likeawoolsweater?
2. Ifyoupositionotherpeoplewithchargedballoonsaroundthetable,canyoukeeptheyardstickgoing?
3. Canweseeelectrons?
4. Howdoyougetridofextraelectrons?
5. Doestheshapeoftheballoonmatter?
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6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Doeshaircolormatter?
Rubaballoononyourhead,andthenliftitupabout6”.Whyisthehairattractedtotheballoon?
Whydoesthehaircontinuetostandonendaftertheballoonistakenaway?
Whatotherthingsdoestheballoonsticktobesidesthewall?
Whydoyouthinktheyardstickmoved?
Whatotherthingsareattractedorrepelledthesamewaybytheballoon?(Hint:tryapingpongball.)
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Lesson#4:Newton’sFirstLawofMotion
TeacherSection
Overview:Thenaturalstateofobjectsistofollowastraightline.Infact,Newton’sFirstLawofMotionstatesthat
objectsinmotionwilltendtostayinmotionunlesstheyareacteduponbyanexternalforce.Aforceisapushora
pull,likepullingawagonorpushingacar.Gravityisalsoaforce,butit’saone‐wayforcethatattractsthingsto
eachanother.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnthewaytochangehowsomethingismovingistogiveitapushorapull.Thesizeof
thechangeisrelatedtothestrength,ortheamountof"force,"ofthepushorpull.
Materials(perlabgroup)





wagon
rock
friends
stopwatch
meterstickoryardstickormeasuringtape
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Whathappenswhenyoukickasoccerball?The”kick”istheexternalforcethatNewtonwastalkingaboutinhis
firstlawofmotion.Whathappenstotheballafteryoukickit?Theballcontinuesinastraightlineaslongasitcan,
untilairdrag,rollingresistance,andgravity,allofwhichcauseittostop.
Ifthisseemsoverlysimplistic,juststickwithmeforaminute.Thereasonwestudymotionistogetabasic
understandingofscientificprinciples.Inthisexperiment,theballwantstocontinueinastraightlinebutdueto
externalforceslikegravity,friction,andsoforth,theball’smotionwillchange.
Newton’sFirstLawofMotionalsosaysthatobjectsatrestwilltendtostayatrest,andobjectsinmotiontendto
stayinmotionunlessacteduponbyanexternalforce.You’veseenthisbefore–asoccerballdoesn’tmoveunless
youkickit.Butwhathappensifyoukickitinouterspace,farfromanyothercelestialobjects?Itwouldtravelina
straightline!Whatifitwasn’tasoccerball,butarocketship?Itwouldstilltravelinastraightline.Whatifthe
rocketwasgoingtopassnearaplanet?Doyouthinkyou’dneedmoreorlessfueltokeeptravelingonyourstraight
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path?Doyouseehowit’susefultostudythingsthatseemsimpleatfirstsowecanhandletheharderstufflateron?
Great–thenlet’skeepgoing.
Lesson
1.
2.
3.
4.
Askstudentswhathappenswhenasoccerballiskicked.Doesitcontinuerollingorbouncingforever?
Theballwillcontinueinastraightlineunlessitencounterssomething,liketheground,gravity,etc.
Whatistheforceinthisexample?Thekickitself,ofcourse.
Newton’sFirstLawofMotionsaysthatobjectsatresttendtostayatrestandobjectsinmotiontendtostay
inmotion…UNLESStheyareacteduponbyanexternalforce.
5. Oneimportantforcetonoteisthefrictionthatanobjectencounterswhenitrubsagainstairmolecules.
6. We’llexploreNewton’sFirstLawinthislab.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.Ifyoudon’thaveenoughmaterialsforeveryone,thislabworksgreatasahomeworklab.
3. Let'sreallyfigureoutwhatthis”inertia”thingfromNewton'sfirstlawisallaboutusingthewagonand
friends.Pullthewagondownthesidewalk.
4. Trytostopasquicklyasyoucan.Becareful.Youcouldgetrunoverbythewagonifyou’renotcareful.
5. Putafriendinthewagonandrepeatstepsabove.
6. Putanotherfriendinthewagonandrepeatagain.
Youmayhavenoticedthatthemorefriends(themoreweight)youhadinthewagontheharderitwastoget
movingandtheharderitwastostop.Thisisinertia.Themoreweightsomethinghasthemoreinertiaithas
andtheharderitistogetittogoandtostop!
Exercises
1. Whatisinertia?(theresistancesomethinghastochangeitsmotion)
2. WhatisNewton’sFirstLaw?(Objectsatreststayatrest,andanobjectinmotionstaysinmotionwiththe
samespeedandinthesamedirectionunlessacteduponbyanunbalancedforce.)
3. Willalighterorheavierracecarwiththesameenginewinashort‐distancerace(likethequarter‐mile)?
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#4:Newton’sFirstLawofMotion
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Thenaturalstateofobjectsistofollowastraightline.Infact,Newton’sFirstLawofMotionstatesthat
objectsinmotionwilltendtostayinmotionunlesstheyareacteduponbyanexternalforce.Aforceisapushora
pull,likepullingawagonorpushingacar.Gravityisalsoaforce,butit’saone‐wayforcethatattractsthingsto
eachanother.
WhattoLearn:Thewaytochangehowsomethingismovingistogiveitapushorapull.Thesizeofthechangeis
relatedtothestrength,ortheamountof"force,"ofthepushorpull.
Materials





wagon
rocks
friends
stopwatch
meterstickoryardstickormeasuringtape
LabTime
1. Let'sreallyfigureoutwhatthis“inertia”thingfromNewton'sfirstlawisallaboutusingthewagonand
friends.Pullthewagondownthesidewalk.
2. Trytostopasquicklyasyoucan.Becareful.Youcouldgetrunoverbythewagonifyou’renotcareful.
3. Putafriendinthewagonandrepeatstepsabove.
4. Putanotherfriendinthewagonandrepeatagain.
Youmayhavenoticedthatthemorefriends(themoreweight)youhadinthewagontheharderitwastoget
movingandtheharderitwastostop.Thisisinertia.Themoreweightsomethinghasthemoreinertiaithas
andtheharderitistogetittogoandtostop!
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Newton’sFirstLawofMotionDataTable
NumberofKidsinWagon
TimetoStop
DistancetoStop
(measureinseconds)
(measureinfeetormeters)
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whatisinertia?
2. WhatisNewton’sFirstLaw?
3. Willalighterorheavierracecarwiththesameenginewinashort‐distancerace(likethequarter‐mile)?
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Lesson#5:Newton’sSecondLawofMotion
TeacherSection
Overview:Newton’sSecondLawofMotionisforobjectsexperiencingunbalancedforces.Thefirstlaw,usually
calledthelawofinertia,saysthatifalltheforcesactingonanobjectarebalancedthentheobjectisinequilibrium
anddoesnotaccelerate.Theobjectcaneitherbeatrestorinmotion,butnotaccelerating(theobjectcanbeata
constantspeedandtravelinginastraightline).Objectsnotinequilibriumexperienceunbalancedforces,which
causesthemtoaccelerate.Accelerationisachangeinspeed,direction,orboth.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnhowtocalculatethenetforceandaccelerationofanobject.Theywilllearnthat
accelerationofanobjectproducedbythenetforce(thevectorsumofallforces)isdirectlyproportionaltothe
magnitudeofthenetforce,inthesamedirectionasthenetforce,andinverselyproportionaltothemassofthe
object.
Materials(perlabgroup)





friends
wagon
rocks
stopwatch
measuringtape
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Newton’sSecondLawtellsuswhat’sgoingtohappenwhenforcesdon’tbalance(andintherealworld,they
usuallydon’t).Thislawstatesthatunbalancedforcescauseobjectstoaccelerateindirectproportiontothenet
force,andinverselyproportionaltothemass.
Thesecondlawisalsoreferredtowhendiscussingmomentum.Thesecondlawdefinesaforcetobeequaltothe
changeinmomentumwithachangeintime.Momentum(p)isthemass(m)ofanobjectmultipliedbyisvelocity
(v).Ifyourmassis100kg,andyou’retravellinginastraightlineat10m/s,thenyourmomentumis1,000kgm/s.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
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3. Nowwe'regoingtoexperimentwithNewton'sSecondLawthatdealswithforce,mass,andacceleration.
Startwithanemptywagon.
4. Pullitandtrytogetittogoasfastasitcan,asfastasyoucan.Inotherwords,getittoaccelerate.
5. Nowaddweight.Putsomethinginthewagonthatweighsatleast50lbs.orso(anice,solidkidcomesto
mind).
6. Pullitagainandgetittogoasfastasitcanasfastasyoucan.
7. Addmoreweightanddoitagain.
8. Keepaddingweightuntilyouhaveaverydifficulttimegettingittoaccelerate.
Sowhathappenedhere?Forceequalsmassxacceleration.Themasswasthewagon.Theforcewasyoupulling.The
accelerationwashowfastyoucouldgetittospeedup.Theheavieryougotthewagon(themoremasstherewas)
theharder(themoreforce)youhadtopulltogetthewagontomove(toaccelerate).
Anobjectthathasalotofmomentumisgoingtotakealotofefforttostop.Momentumreferstothequantityof
motionthatanobjecthas.It’sdefinedasmassinmotion.Ifanobjectismoving,thenithasmomentum.Howmuch
momentumithasiscalculatedbythisequation:momentum(p)=mass(m)xvelocity(v),orp=mv.
Exercises
1. WhatconceptdoesNewton’sSecondLawofMotiondealwith?(force,mass,andacceleration)
2. Whatismomentum?(masstimesvelocity,ormv)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#5:Newton’sSecondLawofMotion
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Newton’sSecondLawofMotionisforobjectsexperiencingunbalancedforces.Thefirstlaw,usually
calledthelawofinertia,saysthatifalltheforcesactingonanobjectarebalancedthentheobjectisinequilibrium
anddoesnotaccelerate.Theobjectcaneitherbeatrestorinmotion,butnotaccelerating(theobjectcanbeata
constantspeedandtravelinginastraightline).Objectsnotinequilibriumexperienceunbalancedforces,which
causesthemtoaccelerate.Accelerationisachangeinspeed,direction,orboth.
WhattoLearn:Studentswilllearnhowtocalculatethenetforceandaccelerationofanobject.Theywilllearnthat
accelerationofanobjectproducedbythenetforce(thevectorsumofallforces)isdirectlyproportionaltothe
magnitudeofthenetforce,inthesamedirectionasthenetforce,andinverselyproportionaltothemassofthe
object.
Materials





friends
wagon
rocks
stopwatch
measuringtape
LabTime
1. Nowwe'regoingtoexperimentwithNewton'sSecondLawthatdealswithforce,mass,andacceleration.
Startwithanemptywagon.
2. Pullitandtrytogetittogoasfastasitcan,asfastasyoucan.Inotherwords,getittoaccelerate.
3. Nowaddweight.Putsomethinginthewagonthatweighsatleast50lbs.orso(anice,solidkidcomesto
mind).
4. Pullitagainandgetittogoasfastasitcanasfastasyoucan.
5. Addmoreweightanddoitagain.
6. Keepaddingweightuntilyouhaveaverydifficulttimegettingittoaccelerate.
Sowhathappenedhere?Forceequalsmassxacceleration.Themasswasthewagon.Theforcewasyoupulling.The
accelerationwashowfastyoucouldgetittospeedup.Theheavieryougotthewagon(themoremass(m)there
was)theharder(themoreforce(f))youhadtopulltogetthewagontomove(toaccelerate(a)),orF=ma.
Anobjectthathasalotofmomentumisgoingtotakealotofefforttostop.Momentumreferstothequantityof
motionthatanobjecthas.It’sdefinedasmassinmotion.Ifanobjectismoving,thenithasmomentum.Howmuch
momentumithasiscalculatedbythisequation:momentum(p)=mass(m)xvelocity(v),orp=mv.
Noteforthetablebelow:Tryusingthestandardmetricsystem.Theconversionfromtheweightyoumeasureona
scale(measuredinpounds)toaquantityofmassinkgisthis:
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1pound=0.4365kg
Soa100‐lbkidhasamassof45.36kg.
7. Nowlet’sfilloutthedatatable.First,weighthekidsyouaregoingtouseasweightinthewagon.Record
thisinyourdatatable.
8. Withchalkorstring,markoffthreelines.Thefirstisthestartline,wherethewagonisgoingtostartfrom
rest.Thesecondisabout2meters(6½feet)away,andwhenthewagoncrossesthislineitshouldbeat
constantspeed.Thethirdisthefinishline,adistanceofabout7meters(about23feet)fromthemiddle
line.Makesurethecourseisonalong,straight‐and‐levelpath.Wewantthekidstobeatthesamespeed
whentheycrossthestartandfinishline.
9. Getoutyourtimer.Loadthewagonwithkids.
10. Startpullingthewagonatthestartlineatthesametimeyoustartthetimer.
11. Pullthekidsandreachaconstantspeedwhenyoucrossthemiddleline.Asyoucrossit,lookatyourtimer
(butdon’tstoptiming).Recordthistimeasyourtimetoaccelerate.
12. Continuetiminguntilyoucrossthefinishline.Stoptimingandrecordthetime.
Nowyougiveitatry:
Newton’sSecondLawofMomentumDataTable
MassofKidsinWagon
(kg)
TotalTime
(seconds)
TimetoAccelerate
(seconds)
TimeatConstantSpeed
(seconds)
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. WhatconceptdoesNewton’sSecondLawofMotiondealwith?
2. Whatismomentum?
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Lesson#6:Newton’sThirdLawofMotion
TeacherSection
Overview:Newton’sThirdLawofMotionstatesthatforeveryaction,thereisanequalandoppositereaction.This
meansthatforeveryinteraction,there’sapairofforcesactingontheobjects,whichareequalinsizeandopposite
indirection.(Wanttoknowasecret?Forcesalwayscomeinpairs!)
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnthewaytochangehowsomethingismovingistogiveitapushorapull.Thesizeof
thechangeisrelatedtothestrength,ortheamountof"force,"ofthepushorpull.
Materials(perlabgroup)




friends
rocks
wagon
balloon
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Forcescomeinpairs.Whenyoustandup,yourweightispushingdownonthefloorasmuchasthefloorispushing
backuponyourfeet.Whenyoustretchoutyourarmsandpushthewall,thewallpushesbackwiththesame
amountofforceeverytime.ThisisNewton’sThirdLaw:Foreveryaction,thereisanequalandoppositereaction.
Aforceisapushorapull,likepullingawagonorpushingacar.Forcescomefrominteractions.Someforcescome
fromcontactinteractions,likefriction,tensioninaspring,appliedforces,andmore.Otherforcesare“actionata
distance”interactions,likegravitational,electricalandmagneticforces.Whentwoobjectsinteractwitheachother,
whetherornottheyphysicallytouch,theyexertforcesoneachother.Thisholdstrueforrocketsorbitingthe
moon,bugsthatsplatonthewindshield,andkidsonrollerskateswhocrashintoyou.
Rifles“recoil”whenfired,whichisaclassicexampleofaction‐reactionpairedforces.Therecoilhappenswhenthe
gunpowderexplosioncreateshotgasesthatexpandandpushthebulletforward.Theforcethattheriflefeelsis
equaltotheforcethatthebulletfeels,butsincethebulletistiny,itcanmovewithahighacceleration.Therifle,
whichhasalargermass,doesn’tacceleratequiteasquickly,butyoucanstillfeelitinyourshoulderastherifle
recoils.
Lesson
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1. Haveastudent(orstudents)pushagainstawall.Askwheretheforceisappliedinthissituation.Students
willlikelynotethatthehandisexertingaforce.
2. Thewallisactuallypushingback.Notonlythat,buttheforcethewallisapplyingisexactlyequaland
oppositetheforcethehandisapplyingtothewall.
3. ThisisanexampleofNewton’sThirdLaw:Foreveryaction,thereisanequalandoppositereaction.
4. Tofurtherillustrate,askstudentsiftheyweretoholdanuntiedballoonbetweentheirfingersandthenlet
itgo,whichwaydoestheairinsidetheballoontravelrelativetotheballoonitself?
5. Inthisexperiment,we’lltakealookatwhathappens.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
3. Nowlet'sworkwithNewton'sThirdLaw:Foreveryaction,thereisanequalandoppositereaction.Ifthis
nextexperimentdoesn’twork,don’tworryaboutit.Youneedafairlylow‐frictionskateboardorwagonto
makethiswork.Ifyou’reluckyenoughtolivewherethere’ssnowandice,youmightsuitupthekidson
skatesandtrythisoutdoors,becauseiceisverylow‐friction.
4. Sitinthewagonorontheskateboard(pleasedonotstandup).
5. Throwtheheavythingashardasyoucan.(Pleasebecarefulnottohitanybodyoranything!)
6. Atthispoint,youshouldknowwhatshouldhappen,sowhatdoyouthink?Ifyousaidthatthethrow
forwardwouldmoveyoubackward,you’reright!Nexttimeyou'reinasmallcanoe,tossarockandsee
whathappenstoyouandyourboat.(Anyguesses?)
Exercises
1. WhatisNewton’sThirdLaw?(Foreveryaction,thereisanequalandoppositereaction.)
2. Givethreeexamplesofforcesinpairs.(Yousittinginachair,yourweightbalancedbythechairpushing
backonyou;thechandelierhangingfromtheceilingisbalancedbythetensioninthechainholdingitup;
yourweightonquadrollerskatesisbalancedbythegroundpushingbackwithaneighthofyourweighton
eachwheel).
3. Aropeisattachedtoawall.Youpickuptheropeandpullwithallyou’vegot.Ascientistwalksbyandadds
aforcemetertotheropeandmeasuresyou’repullingwith50Newtons.Howmuchforcedoesthewall
experience?(50Newtons!)
4. Canrocketstravelinspaceifthere’snothingtopushoffof?Explainyouranswer.(Thiswasacommon
misconceptionthatrocketscan’taccelerateinspace.Rocketsacceleratebecausetheyburnfuelandpush
thehotgasesoutthebackendtopropelthemselvesforwardintheoppositedirection.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#6:Newton’sThirdLawofMotion
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Newton’sThirdLawofMotionstatesthatforeveryaction,thereisanequalandoppositereaction.This
meansthatforeveryinteraction,there’sapairofforcesactionontheobjects,whichareequalinsizeandopposite
indirection.(Wanttoknowasecret?Forcesalwayscomeinpairs!)
WhattoLearn:Thewaytochangehowsomethingismovingistogiveitapushorapull.Thesizeofthechangeis
relatedtothestrength,ortheamountof"force,"ofthepushorpull.
Materials




friends
rocks
wagon
balloon
LabTime
1. Nowlet'sworkwithNewton'sThirdLaw:Foreveryaction,thereisanequalandoppositereaction.Ifthis
firstexperimentdoesn’twork,don’tworryaboutit.Youneedafairlylow‐frictionskateboardorwagonto
makethiswork.Ifyou’reluckyenoughtolivewherethere’ssnowandice,youmightsuitupthekidson
skatesandtrythisoutdoors,becauseiceisverylow‐friction.
2. Sitinthewagonorontheskateboard(pleasedonotstandup).
3. Throwtheheavythingashardasyoucan.(Pleasebecarefulnottohitanybodyoranything!)
4. Atthispoint,youshouldknowwhatshouldhappen,sowhatdoyouthink?Ifyousaidthatthethrow
forwardwouldmoveyoubackward,you’reright!Nexttimeyou'reinasmallcanoe,tossarockandsee
whathappenstoyouandyourboat.(Anyguesses?)
Newton’sThirdLawofMotionDataTable
TrialNumber
DistanceTraveled
(feetormeters?)
TimeTraveled
(feetormeters?)
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Tofindyouraveragespeed,dividethedistancetraveledbythetime.Forexample,ifittakes3secondstotravel5.6
feet,thenmyaveragespeedis5.6/3=1.87feet/second.
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. WhatisNewton’sThirdLaw?
2. Givethreeexamplesofforcesinpairs.
3. Aropeisattachedtoawall.Youpickuptheropeandpullwithallyou’vegot.Ascientistwalksbyandadds
aforcemetertotheropeandmeasuresyou’repullingwith50Newtons.Howmuchforcedoesthewall
experience?
4. Canrocketstravelinspaceifthere’snothingtopushoffof?Explainyouranswer.
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Lesson#7:BarrelRoof
TeacherSection
Overview:Thisroofcansupportmorethan400timesitsownweight,andyoudon’tneedtape!Oneofthegreat
thingsaboutnetforcesisthatalthoughtheobjectscanbeundertremendousforce,nothingmoves!Foreverypush,
there’sanequalandoppositepull(orsetofpulls)thatcanceleachotherout,soallforcesbalance.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Aforceisapushorpullonaobjectthatresultsfromaninteractionwithanotherobject.Forcesalways
comeinpairs.
Materials(perlabgroup)






templateprintout(heavyweightpaperworksbest)
scissors
pencils(2)
thread
bookorlightclipboard
papertoloadtheroof
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.Makeoneofthesefirstbefore
teachingittoyourclass.It’salittleintenseatfirsttogetallthefoldscorrect.You’llalsohaveanicemodel
toshowthekidswhentheyneedalittlehelp.
BackgroundLessonReading
Thisexperimentisaphysicalexampleofmanydifferentthingswe’vediscussedsofar:netforces,balancedforces,
contactand“actionatadistance”forces,andmore.Sinceforcesalwayscomeinpairs,ifallgoeswell,theforcesin
thisexperimentwillcanceleachotheroutandtheroofwillstandupwithnoproblems,nomatterhowmaysheets
ofpaperyoustackontop.
Lesson
1. Askstudentstoremindyouwhataforceis.
2. Whathappensifyoupushonadoor?Normally,ifyoupushadoor,itswingsbackwardandopen.However,
ifthedoorislocked,thedoor(andlock)willpushbackwithanequalandoppositeforce.Thereactionsare
equalandopposite.Whichlawisthis?(Newton’sThirdLaw!)
3. Forcesalwayscomeinpairs.Cananyonegivemeanotherexampleofthis?
4. Todaywe’llworkwithbalancingoutforcestoillustrateNewton’sThirdLaw.
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LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
3. Trimeachofthefourcornersfromthepaper.
4. Youwillfoldthediagonalsfollowingonedirectionfirst.Flipthetemplateovertotheplainside,andthen
findthefirstdiagonallinebycurlingthepaperbackuntilyouseethediagonal.Foldandcreasewellonthe
diagonal,makingsurethefoldisstraight.
5. Continuethisprocessoflocatingandcarefullycreasingeachdiagonalinonedirection.Thenfoldallofthe
diagonalswhichareorientedintheotherdirection.Thesearecalledmountainfoldsinorigami,because
theygoupanddownlikethesidesofamountain.
6. Thehorizontallineswillbevalleyfolds,whichmeanstheyarefoldedontheinsideandwillbetheopposite
ofthemountainfolds.Creasethehorizontalvalleyfoldsverywell.
7. Onceallthelinesarefolded,it’stimetopreparetheaccordionshapewhichwillbeusedinyourroof.This
willhappennaturallyasyoupushdownonthevalley(horizontal)foldsandpushuponthemountain
(diagonal)folds.Theseworksbestifyoustartontheoutsideedgesfirstandpinchthefoldstogether,
guidingthediagonalsupandthehorizontalfoldsdown.
8. Afterit’sallfolded,fluffoutthestructure.Tietwopencilstogetherwithabout½inchofspacebetween
themwithabitofstring.Thepencilsmakethebarrelroofeasiertoload.Beginstackingonyourbookor
clipboard,makingsurethatthebottomofthebarrelstructureisspreadoutatthebottomandsupported.
Alsoaddabout50sheetsofpapertoseehowthestructuredoes.
9. Howmanysheetscanyoupileonwithoutcollapsingyourbarrelroof?
Exercises
1. WhatisNewton’sThirdLaw?(Foreveryaction,thereisanequal,butoppositereaction.)
2. Whatkindofgroupsdoforcescomein?(pairs)
3. WhatisanothernameforNewton’sThirdlaw?(theaction‐reactionlaw)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#7:BarrelRoof
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Thisroofcansupportmorethan400timesitsownweight,andyoudon’tneedtape!Oneofthegreat
thingsaboutnetforcesisthatalthoughtheobjectscanbeundertremendousforce,nothingmoves!Foreverypush,
there’sanequalandoppositepull(orsetofpulls)thatcanceleachotherout,soallforcesbalance.
WhattoLearn:Aforceisapushorpullonaobjectthatresultsfromaninteractionwithanotherobject.Forces
alwayscomeinpairs.
Materials






templateprintout(heavyweightpaperworksbest)
scissors
pencils(2)
thread
bookorlightclipboard
papertoloadtheroof
LabTime
1. Trimeachofthefourcornersfromthepaper.
2. Youwillfoldthediagonalsfollowingonedirectionfirst.Flipthetemplateovertotheplainside,andthen
findthefirstdiagonallinebycurlingthepaperbackuntilyouseethediagonal.Foldandcreasewellonthe
diagonal,makingsurethefoldisstraight.
3. Continuethisprocessoflocatingandcarefullycreasingeachdiagonalinonedirection.Thenfoldallofthe
diagonalswhichareorientedintheotherdirection.Thesearecalledmountainfoldsinorigami,because
theygoupanddownlikethesidesofamountain.
4. Thehorizontallineswillbevalleyfolds,whichmeanstheyarefoldedontheinsideandwillbetheopposite
ofthemountainfolds.Creasethehorizontalvalleyfoldsverywell.
5. Onceallthelinesarefolded,it’stimetopreparetheaccordionshapewhichwillbeusedinyourroof.This
willhappennaturallyasyoupushdownonthevalley(horizontal)foldsandpushuponthemountain
(diagonal)folds.Theseworksbestifyoustartontheoutsideedgesfirstandpinchthefoldstogether,
guidingthediagonalsupandthehorizontalfoldsdown.
6. Afterit’sallfolded,fluffoutthestructure.Tietwopencilstogetherwithabout½inchofspacebetween
themwithabitofstring.Thepencilsmakethebarrelroofeasiertoload.Beginstackingonyourbookor
clipboard,makingsurethatthebottomofthebarrelstructureisspreadoutatthebottomandsupported.
Alsoaddabout50sheetsofpapertoseehowthestructuredoes.
7. Howmanysheetscanyoupileonwithoutcollapsingyourbarrelroof?
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BarrelRoofDataTable
You’llbemakingseveraldifferentbarrelroofsforthisdatatable.Youmaychangethetypeofpaperit’s
madefrom,thesize,oreventhefoldlinesifyou’refeelingadventurous.Recordyourobservationshere.
BarrelRoofDescription
HowManySheetsofPaper?
HowLongDidItStand?
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. WhatisNewton’sThirdLaw?
2. Whatkindofgroupsdoforcescomein?
3. WhatisanothernameforNewton’sThirdLaw?
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Lesson#8:BuildingBridges
TeacherSection
Overview:Whatkeepsbuildingfromtopplingoverinthewind?Whyaresomeearthquake‐proofandothersnot?
We’regoingtolookathowengineersdesignbuildingsandbridgeswhilemakingourown.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:StudentswilllearnthatobjectsneartheEarthfalltothegroundunlesssomethingholdsthemup.
Materials(perlabgroup)





indexcards
blocks
straws
clay
cups,disposable
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Therearedifferentkindsofforces,andtheyactindifferentwaysonthingslikebuildings,chairs,bridges,fences,
frames,andmore.We’llbedealingwithastaticloadinthislab,whichislikeholdingastackofheavybooks.You’re
notmoving,butyou’rekeepingthebooksfromfallingtothefloorbyholdingthemup.Astackofbooksonanything
non‐moving,likeachair,table,desk,orcounterisastaticload.
Forcomparison,I’lllistafewmoredifferentkindsofforcessoyoucangetafeelforhowtheydifferfromeach
other.
Adynamicloadiswhenyou’removingwiththeload.Ifyouplacethebooksonaskateboard,orwalkwiththem
acrosstheroom,nowyou’redealingwithadynamicload.
Tensionisthepullanobjectfeelswhenyoutrytopullitapart.Twokidsplayingtug‐of‐warputstensioninthe
rope.Achandelierhangingfromtheceilinghastensioninthecable.Akidonaswingputstensiononthechain.
Thisstretchingputstheobjectintension.
Compressioniswhatyoufeelifyouliftaheavyweightoveryourhead.Youfeelcompressedastheweightpushes
downonyourarms.Whenyousitinachair,youarecompressingthechair’slegs.Ifyousitonaballoon,youare
compressingitintoasmallershape.
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Torsionistheforceanobjectfeelswhenyoutwistitalongitslength.Ifyouholdarulerorstickatoppositeends
andtwistinoppositedirections,therulerfeelsatwist(torsion).Crankshaftsusetorsiontospinthewheelsofyour
carfromtheengine.
Shearforcehappenswhenforcesareappliedintwodifferentdirectionstoanobject.Whenyousqueezeapairof
pliers,youareapplyingashearforceonthepinthatholdsthepierstogether.Ifyourubapieceofpaperbetween
yourhandsasyourubyourhandstogether,youareapplyingashearforcetothepaper.
Howdoyoudesignsomethingtobeearthquakeproof?In1989,amassiveearthquakecausedstructuralengineers
toredesigntheBayBridgeinSanFrancisco,Californiawiththreedistinctelements:shearlinkbeams,hingepipe
beams,andpiles.Theshearlinkbeamsaresteelbeamsinthecentraltowerdesignedtoshearunderexcessive
loadsandwillabsorbthedamage.Thehingepipebeamsare2060‐foot‐longtubesthatconnectsectionsofthe
bridge’sroad.Thesoftcentersofthetubesarelikeafuse,andduringanearthquakearedesignedtofailsotheycan
easilybereplaced.Partofthebridgesitsontopofmud,whichturnstoliquidduringanearthquake,soengineers
drove160angledpilesdown300feetintothemudtogetamoresolidfoundationforthebridge.
Lesson
1. Placeblocksonatableandaskyourstudentshowtheywouldarrangethemtobuildasturdywall.
2. It’sthenotthestrongestofstructuresifwebuildinstraight,upward‐risingcolumns.However,alternating
brickscanhelptostrengthenthewall.
3. Turnacupupsidedownonthetableandaskastudenttoknockitoverusingonlytheirbreath.Prettyeasy,
right?Butwhatifwereinforceit?
4. Usingapieceofclayasafoundation,turnthecupupsidedownontheclayandsmooshitdownintothe
clay.Whathappensnowifyoutrytoblowitdown?Canyoueventhumpitoverusingjustonefinger?
5. Justonesimpledesignmodificationreinforcedboththewallofblocksandthecup.Todaywe’llexperiment
withothermodificationsthatcanstrengthenstructures.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
3. Grabanindexcardandplaceitacrosstwoblocks.
4. Rollupalumpofclayandplaceitonthecard.Thisrepresentsyourpersononthebridge.
5. Tryaddinganotherlumpofclay,representinganotherperson.Doesthatworkaswell?
6. Now,putthecardbetweenthetwoblockssothatitformsanarchinthemiddle.Whathappenswhenyou
loadthisnewbridge?
7. Spreadoutthearchabitandaddanotherindexcardontop.Testitwithyourclayagain–howmanyclay
lump“people”canyouaddtothisbridge?
8. Makelengthwiseaccordionfoldsinanindexcardandplaceitontopoftheblocks.Placeanother,unfolded
cardontop.Howmanyclaylumpscanyouaddnow?
9. Usethestrawsandclaytomakebridgesupportsforyourpleatedbridge.
10. Continuetoexperimentwithyourmaterialstoperfectyourbridge.Remembertosimulateweather
conditionsandevenearthquakestotestyourstructures.
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Exercises
1. Whatarethreedifferentkindsofforces?(Shear,static,andtension.)
2. Usingonlyblocks,whatkindofwalldesignistheweakest?(Whenyoustacktheminindependentstacks
andplacethemsidebyside.)
3. Whydoesthebridgeseemstrongerwhenacardisarchedunderneath?(Thecardprovidesadditional
supportintheverticaldirection.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
©2014SuperchargedScience
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Lesson#8:BuildingBridges
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Whatkeepsbuildingsfromtopplingoverinthewind?Whyaresomeearthquake‐proofandothersnot?
We’regoingtolookathowengineersdesignbuildingsandbridgeswhilemakingourown.
WhattoLearn:ObjectsneartheEarthfalltothegroundunlesssomethingholdsthemup.
Materials





indexcards
blocks
straws
clay
cups,disposable
LabTime
1.
2.
3.
4.
Grabanindexcardandplaceitacrosstwoblocks.
Rollupalumpofclayandplaceitonthecard.Thisrepresentsyourpersononthebridge.
Tryaddinganotherlumpofclay,representinganotherperson.Doesthatworkaswell?
Now,putthecardbetweenthetwoblockssothatitformsanarchinthemiddle.Whathappenswhenyou
loadthisnewbridge?
5. Spreadoutthearchabitandaddanotherindexcardontop.Testitwithyourclayagain–howmanyclay
lump“people”canyouaddtothisbridge?
6. Makelengthwiseaccordionfoldsinanindexcardandplaceitontopoftheblocks.Placeanother,unfolded
cardontop.Howmanyclaylumpscanyouaddnow?
7. Usethestrawsandclaytomakebridgesupportsforyourpleatedbridge.
8. Continuetoexperimentwithyourmaterialstoperfectyourbridge.Remembertosimulateweather
conditionsandevenearthquakestotestyourstructures.
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BuildingBridgesDataTable
DrawaPictureofyourBridgeDesign
and/orDescribeitinWords
HowMuchWeight
DiditHold?
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ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whatarethreedifferentkindsofforces?
2. Usingonlyblocks,whatkindofwalldesignistheweakest?
3. Whydoesthebridgeseemstrongerwhenacardisarchedunderneath?
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Lesson#9:WeightyIssue
TeacherSection
Overview:IfIdropapingpongballandagolfballfromthesameheight,whichonehitsthegroundfirst?How
aboutabowlingballandamarble?
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnthatgravityacceleratesallthingsequally.
Materials(perlabgroup)










pingpongball
golfball
feather
balloon
bouncyball
eraser
pencil
2sheetsofpaper(crumpleoneuptothesizeofagolfball)
paperclip
emptywaterbottle
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Forthisexperiment,you’llneedtwoobjectsofdifferentweights:amarbleandagolfball,oratennisballanda
pennyforexample.You’llalsoneedasharpeyeandapartner.
Whendroppedfromthesamedistance,youshouldseethatbothobjectshitthegroundatthesametime!Gravity
acceleratesbothitemsequallyandtheyhitthegroundatthesametime.Anytwoobjectswilldothis,abrickanda
Buick,aflowerandafish,akumquatandacow!
“But,”Ihearyousaying,“IfIdropafeatherandaflounder,theflounderwillhitfirsteverytime!”OK,yougotme
there.Thereisonethingthatwillchangetheresultsandthatisairresistance.
Thebigger,lighterandfluffiersomethingis,themoreairresistancecanaffectitandsoitwillfallmoreslowly.Air
resistanceisatypeoffrictionwhichwewillbetalkingaboutlater.Infact,ifyouremovedairresistance,afeather
andaflounderwouldhitthegroundatthesametime!
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Wherecanyouremoveairresistance?Themoon!OneoftheApollomissionsactuallydidthis(well,theydidn’tuse
aflounder,theyusedahammer).Anastronautdroppedafeatherandahammeratthesametimeandindeed,both
fellatthesamerateofspeedandhitthesurfaceofthemoonatthesametime.
Asksomeonethisquestion:Whichwillhitthegroundfirst,ifdroppedfromthesameheight,abowlingballora
tennisball?Mostwillsaythebowlingball.Infact,ifyouaskedyourselfthatquestion5minutesago,wouldyou
havegottenitright?It’sconventionalwisdomtothinkthattheheavierobjectfallsfaster.Unfortunately,
conventionalwisdomisn’talwaysright.Gravityacceleratesallthingsequally.Inotherwords,gravitymakesall
thingsspeeduporslowdownatthesamerate.
Thisisagreatexampleofwhythescientificmethodissuchacoolthing.Many,manyyearsago,therewasamanof
greatknowledgeandwisdomnamedAristotle.Mostpeoplebelievedwhateverhesaidtobetrue.Thetroublewas
hedidn’ttesteverythingthathesaid.Oneofhisstatementswasthatobjectswithgreaterweightfallfasterthan
objectswithlessweight.Everyonebelievedthatthiswastrue.
Hundredsofyearslater,Galileocamealongandsaid,“Yaknow…thatdoesn’tseemtoworkthatway.I’mgoingto
testit.”ThestorygoesthatGalileograbbedamelonandanorangeandwenttothetopoftheLeaningTowerof
Pisa.Hesaid,“Lookoutbelow!”anddroppedthem!Bydoingthat,heshowedthatobjectsfallatthesamerateof
speednomatterwhattheirsize.
ItistruethatitwasGalileowho“proved”thatgravityacceleratesallthingsequallynomatterwhattheirweight,
butthereisnorealevidencethatheactuallyusedtheLeaningTowerofPisatodoit.
Lesson
1. Showyourstudentsthetwoitemsyou’veselectedandaskwhichweighsmore(thegolfball).Askwhat
happensifthey’redroppedfromthesameheight–whichwillhitthegroundfirst?It’sthegolfball–but
why?
2. Gravityacceleratesbothitemsequallyandtheyhitthegroundatthesametime.Anytwoobjectswilldo
this,abrickandaBuick,aflowerandafish,akumquatandacow!
3. Cananyonethinkofanexceptiontothis?Afeatherisanexceptionbecauseitwillbemoreimpactedbyair
resistance,whichslowsitsdescent.Soairresistancehasaneffecthere.Thebigger,lighterandfluffier
somethingis,themoreairresistancecanaffectitandsoitwillfallmoreslowly.Butifyouremovedair
resistance,afeatherandaflounderwouldhitthegroundatthesametime!
4. Askstudentswhereairresistancenotafactor.Themoon!OneoftheApollomissionsactuallydidthis(well,
theydidn’tuseafloundertheyusedahammer).Anastronautdroppedafeatherandahammeratthesame
time,andindeedbothfellatthesamerateofspeedandhitthesurfaceofthemoonatthesametime.
5. Asksomeonethisquestion:Whichwillhitthegroundfirst,ifdroppedfromthesameheight,abowlingball
oratennisball?Mostwillsaythebowlingball.Infact,ifyouaskedyourselfthatquestion5minutesago,
wouldyouhavegottenitright?It’sconventionalwisdomtothinkthattheheavierobjectfallsfaster.
Unfortunately,conventionalwisdomisn’talwaysright.Gravityacceleratesallthingsequally.Inother
words,gravitymakesallthingsspeeduporslowdownatthesamerate.
LabTime
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1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
3. Takeacarefullookatbothobjectsandmakeapredictionaboutwhichobjectwillhitthegroundfirstifthey
aredroppedfromthesameheight.Recordyourhypothesis.
4. Testyourprediction.Holdbothobjectsatthesameheight.Makesurethebottomofbothobjectsisthe
samedistancefromthefloor.
5. Letthemgoasclosetothesametimeaspossible.Sometimesit’shelpfultorollthemoffabook.
6. Watchcarefully.Whichhitsthegroundfirst,theheavieroneorthelighterone?
7. Tryitthreetimesandwatchcarefully.Itwillbealittleeasierforthepersonwhoisn’tdroppingthemtosee
whathappens.
8. Tip:formoreadvancedstudents,havethemalsorecordtheweightandlengthandwidth(area)ofthe
objectalongwiththeirobservations.You’llfindanoptionalseconddatatableyoucanuseforthis.
Exercises
1. Whatdidyounoticefromyourdata?Didheavierorlighterobjectsfallfaster?Didmoremassiveobjectsor
smallerobjectsfallfaster?Whatcharacteristicseemedtomatterthemost?(seedatatables)
2. Isgravityatwo‐wayforce,liketheattractive‐repulsiveforcesofamagnet?(No,onlyattractive.)
3. IfIweretodropabowlingballandaballoonfilledwithagassixtimesheavierthanair(sulfurhexafluoride
SF6)andinflatedtotheexactsizeofthebowlingballfrommyroof,whichwillstrikethegroundfirst?(Both,
unlessit’swindy!)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#9:WeightyIssue
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:IfIdropapingpongballandagolfballfromthesameheight,whichonehitsthegroundfirst?How
aboutabowlingballandamarble?
WhattoLearn:Studentswilllearnthatgravityacceleratesallthingsequally.ObjectsneartheEarthfalltothe
groundunlesssomethingholdsthemup.
Materials(perlabgroup)










pingpongball
golfball
feather
balloon
bouncyball
eraser
pencil
2sheetsofpaper(crumpleoneuptothesizeofagolfball)
paperclip
emptywaterbottle
LabTime
1. Takeacarefullookatbothobjectsandmakeapredictionaboutwhichobjectwillhitthegroundfirstifthey
aredroppedfromthesameheight.Recordyourhypothesis.
2. Testyourprediction.Holdbothobjectsatthesameheight.Makesurethebottomofbothobjectsisthe
samedistancefromthefloor.
3. Letthemgoasclosetothesametimeaspossible.Sometimesit’shelpfultorollthemoffabook.
4. Watchcarefully.Whichhitsthegroundfirst,theheavieroneorthelighterone?
5. Tryitthreetimesandwatchcarefully.Itwillbealittleeasierforthepersonwhoisn’tdroppingthemtosee
whathappens.
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WeightyIssueDataTable1
Item/Object
A
Item/Object
B
GuessFirst:
Whichonewillhitfirst?
RecordObservation:
Whichonehitfirst?
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WeightyIssueDataTable2
Todeterminethemassinkg,usethefollowingconversion:1pound=0.4536kg.
Forcalculatingareaofa3Dobject,usethesidethattheoncomingairseesasitfallstotheground.
Foraball,it’sAsphere=(r2)/4.Forasheetofpaper,it’s(length)x(width).Don’tforgettowriteyourunits!
ObjectA
MassA
AreaA
ObjectB
MassB
AreaB
Whichhitfirst?
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ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whatdidyounoticefromyourdata?Didheavierorlighterobjectsfallfaster?Didmoremassiveobjectsor
smallerobjectsfallfaster?Whatcharacteristicseemedtomatterthemost?
2. Isgravityatwo‐wayforce,liketheattractive‐repulsiveforcesofamagnet?
3. IfIweretodropabowlingballandaballoonfilledwithagassixtimesheavierthanair(sulfurhexafluoride
SF6)andinflatedtotheexactsizeofthebowlingballfrommyroof,whichwillstrikethegroundfirst?
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Lesson#10:ForeverFalling
TeacherSection
Overview:IfItossaballhorizontallyattheexactsameinstantthatIdropanotheronefrommyotherhand,which
onereachesthegroundfirst?
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnthatgravityacceleratesallthingsequally.ObjectsneartheEarthfalltotheground
unlesssomethingholdsthemup.
Materials(perlabgroup)




rulersorpaintsticks(2,anythingwideandflat)
coinsorpokerchips(2)
sharpeyeandear
partner
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Didyoureadthefirstsentenceatthetopofthislab?Whatdoyouthinkwillhappen?
TheballswillhitthegroundattheexactSAMEtime.
Isthatoddorwhat?
Gravitydoesn’tcareifsomethingismovinghorizontallyornot.EverythingfallstowardthecenteroftheEarthat
thesamerate.
Letmegiveyouabetterexample:Abulletfiredparalleltothegroundfromagunandabulletdroppedfromthe
sameheightatthesametimewillbothhitthegroundatthesametime,eventhoughtheonefiredlandsamile
away!Itseemsincredible,butit’strue.
Gravitydoesn’tcarewhatsizesomethingisorwhetherornotitismoving,Gravitytreatsallthingsequallyand
acceleratesthemthesame.
NoticethatIsaygravityacceleratesallthingsequally,notgravitypullsonallthingsequally.Gravitydoespull
harderonsomethingsthanonotherthings.ThisiswhyIweighmorethanadog.Iammadeofmorestuff(Ihave
moreatoms)thantheaveragedog,sogravitypullsonmemore.
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Weightisnothingmorethanameasureofhowmuchgravityispullingonyou.Thisiswhyyoucanbe“weightless”
onascaleinspace.Youarestillmadeofstuff,butthere’sabalanceofthegravitythatispullingonyouandthe
outwardforceduetotheaccelerationsinceyou’removinginacircle(whichyoudoinordertoremaininorbit),so
itlookslikeyouhavenoweight.
Thelargerabodyis,themoregravitationalpullorthelargeragravitationalfielditwillhave.
TheMoonhasafairlysmallgravitationalfield(ifyouweighed100poundsonEarth,you’donlybe17poundson
theMoon),theEarth’sfieldisfairlylargeandtheSunhasaHUGEgravitationalfield(ifyouweighed100poundson
Earth,you’dweigh2,500poundsonthesun!).
Asamatteroffact,boththedogandIbothhavegravitationalfields!Sincewearebothbodiesofmass,wehavea
gravitationalfieldwhichwillpullthingstowardsus.Allbodieshaveagravitationalfield.However,mymassis
sooooosmallthatthegravitationalfieldIhaveisminiscule.Somethinghastobeverymassivebeforeithasa
gravitationalfieldthatnoticeablyattractsanotherbody.
Sowhat’sthemeasurementforhowmuchstuffyou’remadeof?Mass.Massisbasicallyaweightlessmeasureof
howmuchmattermakesyou,you.Ahamsterismadeofafairlysmallamountofstuffsoshehasasmallmass.Iam
madeofmorestuff,somymassisgreaterthanthehamster’s.Yourhouseismadeofevenmorestuffsoitsmassis
greaterstill.
So,here’saquestion.Ifyouare“weightless”inspace,doyoustillhavemass?Yes,theamountofstuffyou’remade
ofisthesameonEarthasitisinyourspaceship.Massdoesnotchange,butsinceweightisameasureofhowmuch
gravityispullingonyou,weightwillchange.
DidyounoticethatIputweightlessinquotationmarks?Wonderwhy?
Weightlessnessisamyth!Believeitornot,oneisneverweightless.Apersoncanbeprettyclosetoweightlessin
verydeepspacebuttheastronautsinaspaceshipactuallydohaveabitofweight.
Thinkaboutitforasecond.IfaspaceshipisorbitingtheEarth,whatisitdoing?It’sconstantlyfalling!Ifitwasn’t
movingforwardattensofthousandsofmilesanhouritwouldhittheEarth.It’smovingfastenoughtofallaround
thecurvatureoftheEarthasitfallsbut,indeed,it’sfallingastheEarth’sgravityispullingittous.
Otherwisetheshipwouldfloatouttospace.Sowhatistheastronautdoing?She’sfalling,too!Theastronautand
thespaceshiparebothfallingtotheEarthatthesamerateofspeedandsotheastronautfeelsweightlessinspace.
Ifyouwereinanelevatorandthecablesnapped,youandtheelevatorwouldfalltotheEarthatthesamerateof
speed.You’dfeelweightless!(Don’ttrythisathome!)
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
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3. Placeoneoftherulersflatsothatitisdiagonalacrosstheedgeofatablewithhalftheruleronthetable
andhalfstickingoff.
4. Placeonecoinonthetable,justinfrontoftherulerandjustbehindtheedgeofthetable.Placetheother
coinontheruleronthesidethat’shangingoffthetable.
5. Putyourfingerrightinthemiddleoftheruleronthetablesothatyouareholdingitinsuchawaythatit
canspinabitunderyourfinger.Now,withtheotherruleryouaregoingtosmacktheendofthefirstruler
sothatthefirstrulerpushesthecoinoffthedeskandthecointhat’srestingontherulerfallstotheground.
6. Now,beforeyousmacktheruler,makeaprediction.Willthecointhatfallsstraightdownorthecointhatis
flyingforwardhitthegroundfirst?
7. Tryit.Dothetestandlookandlistencarefullytowhathappens.It’salmostbettertouseyourearshere
thanyoureyes.Doitacoupleoftimesinordertoconfirmyourfindings.
Exercises
1. Trueorfalse?Gravitypullsonallthingsequally.(False!)
2. Trueorfalse?Gravityacceleratesallthingsequally.(True!)
3. Inyourownwords,whydothecoinshitthegroundatthesametime?Isthiswhatyou’dexpecttohappen
onMars?(Yes!)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#10:ForeverFalling
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:IfItossaballhorizontallyattheexactsameinstantthatIdropanotheronefrommyotherhand,which
onereachesthegroundfirst?
WhattoLearn:GravityacceleratesallthingsequallyandobjectsneartheEarthfalltothegroundunless
somethingholdsthemup.
Materials




rulersorpaintsticks(2,anythingwideandflat)
coinsorpokerchips(2)
sharpeyeandear
partner
LabTime
1. Placeoneoftherulersflatsothatitisdiagonalacrosstheedgeofatablewithhalftheruleronthetable
andhalfstickingoff.
2. Placeonecoinonthetable,justinfrontoftherulerandjustbehindtheedgeofthetable.Placetheother
coinontheruleronthesidethat’shangingoffthetable.
3. Putyourfingerrightinthemiddleoftheruleronthetablesothatyouareholdingitinsuchawaythatit
canspinabitunderyourfinger.Now,withtheotherruleryouaregoingtosmacktheendofthefirstruler
sothatthefirstrulerpushesthecoinoffthedeskandthecointhat’srestingontherulerfallstotheground.
4. Now,beforeyousmacktheruler,makeaprediction.Willthecointhatfallsstraightdownorthecointhatis
flyingforwardhitthegroundfirst?
5. Tryit.Dothetestandlookandlistencarefullytowhathappens.It’salmostbettertouseyourearshere
thanyoureyes.Doitacoupleoftimesinordertoconfirmyourfindings.
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ForeverFallingDataTable
CoinA
CoinB
Whatdidyouobserve?
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Trueorfalse?Gravitypullsonallthingsequally.
2. Trueorfalse?Gravityacceleratesallthingsequally.
3. Inyourownwords,whydothecoinshitthegroundatthesametime?Isthiswhatyou’dexpecttohappen
onMars?
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Lesson#11:RocketballLauncher
TeacherSection
Overview:Oneofthebasiclawsoftheuniverseistheconservationofmomentum.Whenobjectssmackintoeach
other,themomentumthatbothobjectshaveafterthecollision,isequaltotheamountofmomentumtheobjects
hadbeforetheimpact.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswillgetintroducedtotheideasaboutmass,velocity,impact,andmomentumaswellassee
firsthandhowmomentumisconservedasit’stransferredfromoneobjecttoanother.
Materials(perlabgroup)

Twoballsofverydifferentsizes,likeabouncyballandatennisball,oratennisballandabasketball
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Momentumcanbedefinedas“inertiainmotion.”Somethingmustbemovingtohavemomentum.Momentumis
howharditistogetsomethingtostoportochangedirections.Amovingtrainhasawholelotofmomentum.A
movingpingpongballdoesnot.Youcaneasilystopapingpongball,evenathighspeeds.Itisdifficult,however,to
stopatrainevenatlowspeeds.
Mathematically,momentum(p)ismass(m)timesvelocity(v),or:p=mv
Intoday’sexperiment,we’regoingtohavetwoballs,onemuchlargerthantheother,collideandtransferenergy.
Oncethetwoballshittheground,allofthelargerball’smomentumtransferredtothesmallerball(plusthe
smallerballhaditsownmomentum,too!)andthusthesmallerballgoeszoomingtothesky.
Doyouseehowusingamassiveobjectasthelowerballworkstoyouradvantagehere?Whatifyoushrinkthe
smallerballevenmore,saytobouncy‐ballsize?Momentumismasstimesbyvelocity,andsinceyouaren’tgoingto
changethevelocitymuch(unlessyoutrythisfromtheroof,whichhasitsownissues),it’sthemassthatyoucan
reallyplayaroundwithtogetthebiggestchangeinyourresults.Soformomentumtobeconserved,afterimpact,
thetopballhadtohaveamuchgreatervelocitytocompensateforthelowerball‘svelocitygoingtozero.
Youcanalsotryasmallbouncyball(aboutthesizeofaquarter)andalargerbouncyball(tennis‐ballsize)andrest
thesmalloneontopofthelargeone.Holduprightashighasyoucan,thenrelease.Iftheballsstayput(thesmall
onestaysontopofthelarger)atimpact,theenergytransferwillcreateaSUPERhighbounceforthesmallball.
(Notehowhighthelargerballbounceswhendropped.)
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Lesson
1. Momentumisdefinedasinertiainmotion.Mathematically,it’smasstimesvelocity.
2. Canyourstudentsthinkofsomethingsthathavealotofmomentum?
3. Atrainisagoodexample–theydon’tmoveextremelyquickly,butthereisalotofmassbehindthem.So,
masstimesvelocityequalsalotofmomentumforatrain!
4. Oneoftheuniverse’sbasiclawsinvolvestheconservationofmomentum.Weseeanexampleofthiswhen
twoobjectssmackintoeachother.
5. Afterthecollision,theamountofmomentumthatbothobjectshaveisequaltothesameamountof
momentumthattheyhadbeforethecrash.However,someofthatmomentumcanbetransferredbetween
theobjects.
6. Intoday’sexperiment,we’lltakealookathowtheconservationofmomentumworks.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
3. First,holdoutthelargerballatarm’slengthinfrontofyou.You’llwanttodothisoveraflatsurface–
somethingwithoutanyrugsorcarpet.Drop(don’tthrowanddon’tbounce)yourlargerballonthefloor.
Doyouseehowhighitbouncesonitsown?
4. Nowdropyoursmallerball(thiscanbeabouncyballoratennisballifyou’reusingabasketball)onthe
groundandnoticehowfaritbouncesbackup.
5. NowplacethesmallerballontopofthelargerballlikeitshowshereinthepictureandletthemBOTHdrop
atthesametimesothattheyfalltogetherandhitthegroundwiththesmallerballstillontop.You’vegotto
makesurethatthesmallerballstaysontopwhenithitstheground.Ifitfallsoff,you’vegottodoitagain.
6. Trythiswithdifferent‐sizedballsandrecordwhatyousee.
7. WhathappensifyoutryTHREE?
Exercises
1. Whatisthemathematicalformulaformomentum?(momentum=mv)
2. Explainmomentuminwords(It’smasstimesvelocity;it’sinertiainmotion.)
3. Whathappenstothemomentumofthebottomballinthisexperiment?(It’stransferredtothesmallball.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestions
thattheycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudies
toyourclasstime.
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Lesson#11:RocketballLauncher
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Oneofthebasiclawsoftheuniverseistheconservationofmomentum.Whenobjectssmackintoeach
other,themomentumthatbothobjectshaveafterthecollisionisequaltotheamountofmomentumtheobjects
hadbeforetheimpact.
WhattoLearn:Todayyou’llgetintroducedtotheideasaboutmass,velocity,impact,andmomentumaswellas
seefirsthandhowmomentumisconservedasit’stransferredfromoneobjecttoanother.
Materials

Twoballsofverydifferentsizes,likeabouncyballandatennisball,oratennisballandabasketball
LabTime
1. First,holdoutthelargerballatarm’slengthinfrontofyou.You’llwanttodothisoveraflatsurface–
somethingwithoutanyrugsorcarpet.Drop(don’tthrowanddon’tbounce)yourlargerballonthefloor.
Doyouseehowhighitbouncesonitsown?
2. Nowdropyoursmallerball(thiscanbeabouncyballoratennisballifyou’reusingabasketball)onthe
groundandnoticehowfaritbouncesbackup.
3. NowplacethesmallerballontopofthelargerballlikeitshowshereinthepictureandletthemBOTHdrop
atthesametimesothattheyfalltogetherandhitthegroundwiththesmallerballstillontop.You’vegotto
makesurethatthesmallerballstaysontopwhenithitstheground.Ifitfallsoff,you’vegottodoitagain.
4. Trythiswithdifferent‐sizedballsandrecordwhatyousee.
5. WhathappensifyoutryTHREE?
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RocketballLaucherDataTable
TopBall(Smaller)
BottomBall(Larger)
Observations
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whatisthemathematicalformulaformomentum?
2. Explainmomentuminwords.
3. Whathappenstothemomentumofthebottomballinthisexperiment?
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Lesson#12:DetectingtheMagneticField
TeacherSection
Overview:Therearefourdifferentkindsofforces:strongnuclearforce,electromagnetism,weaknuclearforce,
andgravity.Therearealsofourbasicforcefieldsthatyoucomeintocontactwithallthetime.Theyarethe
gravitationalfield,theelectricfield,themagneticfield,andtheelectromagneticfield.Noticethatthosefourforce
fieldsreallyonlyusetwoofthefourdifferentkindsofforce:electromagnetismandgravity.Let’stakeaquicklook
atwhatcausesthesefourfieldsandwhatkindofobjectstheycanaffect,startingwiththemagneticfield.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnthatmagnetscanbeusedtomakesomeobjectsmovewithoutbeingtouched.
Materials(perlabgroup)






needle
foam(smallpiece)
magnet
cuporbowl
water
compass
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
You’reprobablyfairlyfamiliarwithmagneticfields.Ifyou’veeverstuckamagnettoarefrigerator,you’vetaken
advantageofmagneticfields.Stickingamagnettoarefrigeratorisoneofthoseeverydayexperiencesthatshould
justbeabsolutelyflabbergasting.Thereyouareholdingan“I’dRatherbeRelative”magnetanditstickstothe
fridge!Butwaitaminute,ifyouputitonthewall…itfallsoff!Howdoesit“know”whattostickto?Notonlydoesit
sticktothefridge,italsopushessomethingsaway,attractsotherthingsandcouldn’tcarelessaboutstillother
things.What’sthatallabout?!Werarelythinkaboutwhatmagnetsdobut,wow,thethingstheydoareweird!
Magneticfieldscomefromobjectsthathaveasurplusofelectronsallmovinginthesamedirection.Thiscanbean
electricwirewithcurrentrunningthroughitoroneofseveralspecialtypesofmetals.Iron,nickelandcobaltare
themostcommonmetalsthatcanbemagnetic.Magneticfieldscanonlyaffectobjectsthatcanbemagnetic
themselves.That’swhyamagnetcanattractanironnail,butitcan’tattractanaluminumcan.Theironnailcanbe
magnetic,butthealuminumcannot.Magnetscanalsobeattractiveorrepulsive.Twomagnetswiththesamekind
ofpolesfacingoneanotherwillpushthemselvesapart.Twomagnetswithoppositepolesfacingoneanotherwill
pullthemselvestogether.
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UsingacompassandtheEarth,youcandoasimpleexperimenttodetectthemagneticfieldofourplanet.(Ifyou
don’thaveacompass,justslideamagnetalongthelengthofaneedleseveraltimes(makesureyouonlyswipein
onedirection!)thenstickitthroughacorkorbitoffoam.Floattheneedle‐foamthinginacupofwater.)
Againaverysimplelittleactivity,butIhopeyoucanseethepoint.Nomatterwhereyouwentorwhatyoudid,that
needlealwayspointedthesamedirection!TheEarth’smagneticforcefield,anotherstrangeandmysteriousforce,
alwayspushesthatneedleinthesamedirection.It’sinvisibleandyoucan’tfeelit…buttheneedlecan!
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
3. Tomakeacompass,youneedaneedleandacompass.
4. Swipetheneedlewiththemagnet–onlyinonedirection–many,manytimes.
5. Stickthemagnetizedneedlethroughapieceoffoamsothatitwillfloat.
6. Placethefoamandneedleinacuporsmallbowlofwater.
7. Youcanchecktheneedlewithacompasstomakesuretheyarepointingthesamedirection.
8. Lookatthecompass,butdon’tpickitup.Walkanywhereandkeepyoureyeonthecompass.
9. Turnincirclesandkeepyoureyeonthecompass(don’tgettoodizzy).
10. TheEarth’smagneticforcefield,oneofthosestrangeandmysteriousforcefields,alwayspushesthat
needleinthesamedirection.It’sinvisibleandyoucan’tfeelit…buttheneedlecan!
Exercises
1. Whydoestheneedleneedthefoam?(Soitcanfloatandalignwiththemagneticfield.)
2. Whydoweusewater?(Waterisverylow‐friction,soitallowstheneedletomoveandorientitself.)
3. Whataretheforcesinamagneticfield?(attractiveandrepulsive)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#12:DetectingtheMagneticField
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Remember,therearefourdifferentkindsofforces:strongnuclearforce,electromagnetism,weak
nuclearforce,andgravity.Therearealsofourbasicforcefieldsthatyoucomeintocontactwithallthetime.They
arethegravitationalfield,theelectricfield,themagneticfield,andtheelectromagneticfield.Noticethatthosefour
forcefieldsreallyonlyusetwoofthefourdifferentkindsofforce:electromagnetismandgravity.Let’stakeaquick
lookatwhatcausesthesefourfieldsandwhatkindofobjectstheycanaffect,startingwiththemagneticfield.
WhattoLearn:Magnetscanbeusedtomakesomeobjectsmovewithoutbeingtouched.
Materials






needle
foam(smallpiece)
magnet
cuporbowl
water
compass
LabTime
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Tomakeacompass,youneedaneedleandacompass.
Swipetheneedlewiththemagnet–onlyinonedirection–many,manytimes.
Stickthemagnetizedneedlethroughapieceoffoamsothatitwillfloat.
Placethefoamandneedleinacuporsmallbowlofwater.
Youcanchecktheneedlewithacompasstomakesuretheyarepointingthesamedirection.
Lookatthecompass,butdon’tpickitup.Walkanywhereandkeepyoureyeonthecompass.
Turnincirclesandkeepyoureyeonthecompass(don’tgettoodizzy).
TheEarth’smagneticforcefield,oneofthosestrangeandmysteriousforcefields,alwayspushesthat
needleinthesamedirection.It’sinvisibleandyoucan’tfeelit…buttheneedlecan!
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DetectingtheMagneticFieldDataTable
Tocompletethesetrialrunswithyourcompass,you’llneedtocalibrateyourcompassfirst.FindNorthby
usingarealcompass,andthenlookatyourcompass.Theneedlesshouldbefacingthesamedirection(ifnot,
re‐magnetizeyourneedle).Markthesideofyourcupthattheneedlepointstowitha“N,justlikethereal
compasshas.Marktheotherthreedirections(South,East,andWest)basedonyourmarkforNorth.
Nowyou’rereadytodoyourexperiments.
LocationofCompass
DirectionIndication?
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whydoestheneedleneedthefoam?
2. Whydoweusewater?
3. Whataretheforcesinamagneticfield?
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Lesson#13:FlyingPaperclip
TeacherSection
Overview:Theinverse‐squarelawappliestoquiteafewareasinphysics.Whenitcomestoforces,itbasically
meansthatthecloseranobjectcomestothesourceofaforce,thestrongerthatforcewillbeonthatobject.The
fartherthatsameobjectgetsfromtheforce’ssource,theweakertheeffectoftheforce.
SuggestedTime:25‐35minutes
Objectives:Infields,theclosersomethinggetstothesourceofthefield,thestrongertheforceofthefieldgets.
Thisiscalledtheinversesquarelaw.Thoseatomsarelinedupinthesamedirection,thatobjectwillhavea
magneticforce.
Materials(perlabgroup)





magnets(4)
paperclip
string
ruler
tape
LabPreparation
1.
2.
3.
4.
Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
Precutthestringinto12”longpieces.
I’llpre‐ripthetapeandstickitpart‐wayhangingofftheedgeofmydeskthatkidscaneasilyreachsothey
canhelpthemselveswhentheyneedit.Youmightopttogiveeachtheirveryowntapedispenser.
Lesson
1. Haveyoueverbeenclosetosomethingthatsmellsbad?Haveyounoticedthatthefartheryougetfromthat
something,thelessitsmells,andthecloseryouget,themoreitsmells?Wellforcessortofworkinthesame
way.
2. Forcesbehaveaccordingtoafancylawcalledtheinverse‐squarelaw.Tobetechnical,aninverse‐square
lawisanyphysicallawstatingthatsomephysicalquantityorstrengthisinverselyproportionaltothe
squareofthedistancefromthesourceofthatphysicalquantity.
3. Theinverse‐squarelawmeansthatthecloseranobjectcomestothesourceofaforce,thestrongerthat
forcewillbeonthatobject.Mathematicallywecansaythatdoublingthedistancebetweentheobjectand
thesourceoftheforcemakestheforce1/4asstrong.Triplingthedistancemakestheforce1/9asstrong.
4. Optional:Youcandemonstratetheinversesquarelawifyouhavealightweightspringscale.Attachthe
scaledirectlytothemagnet.Placearulerdownonthetablewiththezeromarklinedupwithendofthe
paperclip.Takeforcemeasurementsfromthescaleeveryhalfinchandwritethesedownontheboard.This
isanexcellenttimetoshowthestudentshowtographdatabyplacingtheforcereadingsonthevertical
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scale(y‐axis)andthedistancemeasurementsonthehorizontalscale(x‐axis).You’llseeagraphical
representationoftheinversesquarelaw.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.Handeach
grouptheirmaterials.
2. Tiethestringtooneofthepaperclips.
3. Tapetheendofthestringtothetable.
4. Bringyourmagnetclosetothepaperclipsothepaperclipfliesuptoit.
5. Usingaruler,measurehowfaryourmagnetiswhenthepaperclipfallsbacktothetable.Whichpartofyour
magnetisitmostattractedto?Whichpartofthemagnetisthestrongest?That’sthesideofthemagnetwe
wanttousewhenyourecordyourdata.
6. Repeatsteps3and4withallofyourdifferentmagnets.
7. Completethedatatable.(Don’tforgetyourunitsincolumn3!Didyoumeasureininches,feet,centimeters…?)
Exercises
1. Circleone:Thecloseryougettothemagnet,the(strongerweaker)theforceofthemagneticfieldisonthe
paperclip.
2. Whydoesitmatterwhichwayyouorientthemagnetinthisexperiment?(Themagneticforceisstrongest
atthemagneticpoles.)
3. Whichmagnethasthestrongestmagneticfield?(Refertoyourdata.)
4. Isthenorthorsouthpolestrongeronamagnet?(Neither–theyareidenticalinforce.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#13:FlyingPaperclip
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Infields,theclosersomethinggetstothesourceofthefield,thestrongertheforceofthefieldgets.This
iscalledtheinverse‐squarelaw.
WhattoLearn:Theinverse‐squarelawappliestoquiteafewphenomenainphysics.Whenitcomestoforces,it
basicallymeansthatthecloseranobjectcomestothesourceofaforce,thestrongerthatforcewillbeonthat
object.Thefartherthatsameobjectgetsfromtheforce’ssource,theweakertheeffectoftheforce.
Materials





magnets(4)
paperclip
string
ruler
tape
LabTime
1.
2.
3.
4.
Tiethestringtooneofthepaperclips.
Tapetheendofthestringtothetable.
Bringyourmagnetclosetothepaperclipsothepaperclipfliesuptoit.
Usingaruler,measurehowfaryourmagnetiswhenthepaperclipfallsbacktothetable.Whichpartof
yourmagnetisitmostattractedto?Whichpartofthemagnetisthestrongest?That’sthesideofthe
magnetwewanttousewhenyourecordyourdata.
5. Repeatsteps3and4withallofyourdifferentmagnets.
6. Completethedatatable.(Don’tforgetyourunitsincolumn3!Didyoumeasureininches,feet,
centimeters…?)
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FlyingPaperClipDataTable
Type/ShapeofMagnet
Whichpartisthestrongest?
Howfarbeforethepaperclipfalls?
Exercises:Answerthequestionsbelow:
1. Circleone:Thecloseryougettothemagnet,the(stronger|weaker)theforceofthemagnetic
fieldisonthepaperclip.
2. Whydoesitmatterwhichwayyouorientthemagnetinthisexperiment?
3. Whichmagnethasthestrongestmagneticfield?
4. Isthenorthorsouthpolestrongeronamagnet?
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Lesson#14:Force‐fullCereal
TeacherSection
Overview:Didyouknowthatyourcerealmaybemagnetic?Dependingonthebrandofcerealyouenjoyinthe
morning,you’llbeabletoseethemagneticeffectsrightinyourbowl.
Youdon’thavetoeatthisexperimentwhenyou’redone,butyoumayifyouwantto(thisisoneoftheONLYtimes
I’mgoingtoallowyoutoeatwhatyouexperimentwith!)Foravariation,pulloutallthedifferentboxesofcerealin
yourcupboardandseewhichhasthegreatestmagneticattraction.
SuggestedTime:15minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnhowmagnetscanbeusedtomakesomeobjectsmovewithoutbeingtouched.
Materials(perlabgroup)






cereal
bowl
milk(orwater)
spoon
magnet(1,rectangular)
magnet(1,disk)
LabPreparation
1.
2.
3.
4.
Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
Notethatthisisarelativelyshortlab.Ifyouprefer,youcansendthestudentshometodothisasa
homeworklab.
BackgroundLessonReading
Inthisexperiment,you’llseethecereal“O’s”getclosetooneanotherastheyattracteachother.Theclosertheyget,
thestrongertheirattractiontoeachotherandthefastertheymovetowardseachother.Ifyouwaitandwatchlong
enough,yougetanicetightbatchofcerealallclusteredtogetherinoneortwobigblobs.Thisactivityisagreat
illustrationofwhatismeantbytheinversesquarelawbecausetheattractionbetween“O’s”wasstrongerthe
closertheygottoeachother.
IdiscoveredthisactivityonemorningasIwaseatingcereal.Thesamethinghappenswithbubbleswhenyou’re
doingthedishes.Scienceiseverywhere!Feelfreetoeatthecereal!
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
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2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
3. Fillthebowlwithmilk(orwater).
4. Putabout20piecesofcerealintothebowl.Youwanttomakesurethere’sspacefortheexperiment.What
doyounoticeabouttheOs?Dotheyattracteachother?
5. Stirupthebowlalittleandnotewhathappens.
6. Separateasinglepieceofcerealandgetitalittleclosetoaclumpofcereal.Whathappens?
7. Whathappensifyoubringamagnetclosetothecereal?Dodifferentmagnetsaffectthecerealdifferently?
Exercises
1. Whydothepiecesofcerealsticktoeachother?(Theironinthecerealmakesitactlikeabunchoflittle
magnets.)
2. Doesthecerealmoveslowerorfasterthecloserthepiecescomeincontactwitheachother?(Faster)
3. Whatothercerealsdoesitworkfor?(Anycerealfortifiedwithiron.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#14:Force‐fullCereal
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Didyouknowthatyourcerealmaybemagnetic?Dependingonthebrandofcerealyouenjoyinthe
morning,you’llbeabletoseethemagneticeffectsrightinyourbowl.Youdon’thavetoeatthisexperimentwhen
you’redone,butyoumayifyouwantto(thisisoneoftheONLYtimesI’mgoingtoallowyoutoeatwhatyou
experimentwith!)Foravariation,pulloutallthedifferentboxesofcerealinyourcupboardandseewhichhasthe
greatestmagneticattraction.
WhattoLearn:Magnetscanbeusedtomakesomeobjectsmovewithoutbeingtouched.Certainmaterialsthat
containironareaffectedbymagnets,likeyourbreakfast!
Materials






cereal
bowl
milk(orwater)
spoon
magnet(1,rectangular)
magnet(1,disk)
LabTime
1. Fillthebowlwithmilk(orwater).
2. Putabout20piecesofcerealintothebowl.Youwanttomakesurethere’sspacefortheexperiment.What
doyounoticeabouttheOs?Dotheyattracteachother?
3. Stirupthebowlalittleandnotewhathappens.
4. Separateasinglepieceofcerealandgetitalittleclosetoaclumpofcereal.Whathappens?
5. Whathappensifyoubringamagnetclosetothecereal?Dodifferentmagnetsaffectthecerealdifferently?
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whydothepiecesofcerealsticktoeachother?
2. Doesthecerealmoveslowerorfasterthecloserthepiecescomeincontactwitheachother?
3. Whatothercerealsdoesitworkfor?
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Lesson#15:EarTricks
TeacherSection
Overview:Thinkofyourearsas”soundantennas.”There’sareasonyouhaveTWOofthese–andthat’swhatthis
experimentisallabout.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnthatsoundismadebyvibratingobjectsandcanbedescribedbyitspitchand
volume.
Materials(perlabgroup)




noisemaker
partner
blindfold
earplugs
LabPreparation
1.
2.
3.
4.
Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
Youcanuseanynoisemaker(anelectronictimerwithahigh‐pitchedbeepworksverywell),apartner,a
blindfold(notnecessarybutmorefunifyouhaveonehandy),andearplugs(oruseyourfingerstoclosethe
littleflapoveryourear–don’tstickyourfingersINyourears!).
BackgroundLessonReading
Yourearsareverygoodatdeterminingwheresoundsarecomingfrom.Thereasonyourearsaresogoodat
detectingthedirectionofasoundisduetothefactthatsoundhitsoneearslightlybeforeithitstheotherear.You
braindoesanamazingbitofquickmathtomakeitsbestguessastowherethesoundiscomingfromandhowfar
awayitis.Let’sdoalittlemorewiththis.
Lesson
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Askstudentsiftheycanhearwiththeireyesclosed.Ofcourse!
Butareweabletotellthingsaboutasoundlikedirectionandsourcewithoureyesclosed?
Experimentwiththisbyblindfoldingstudentsandsittingtheminthemiddleoftheroom.
Instructstudentstopointtothesoundsourcewhentheyhearit.
Nowwalktoanotherpartoftheroomasquietlyaspossibleandclapyourhands.
Howwelldidtheydo?Probablyprettywell!Ourearsaregoodatdeterminingthedirectionofasound
becausethewavesarriveatoneearslightlybeforetheother.Soourbrainsdosomequickcalculationsand
guesswherethesoundoriginatedfromandhowfarawayitis.
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7. Let’sexperimentfurtherandseeifwecantrickourears!
LabTime
1.
2.
3.
4.
Sitorstandinthemiddleofaroom.
Closeyoureyesorputontheblindfold.
Haveyourpartnerwalktoanotherpartoftheroomasquietlyaspossible.
Haveyourpartnermovethesoundmakeraroundtheroomlikebefore,butthistimemakesureyour
partnermakesthesounddirectlyinfrontofyou,behindyouandoveryourheadaswell.
5. Withyoureyesstillclosed,pointtowhereyouthinkthesoundcamefrom.
6. Tryitseveraltimesandthenletyourpartnerhaveaturn.
Didyougetfooledthistime?Thisworkssometimes,butnotalways.WhatIhopehappenedwaswhenthe
noisemakerwasaboveyourhead,directlyinfrontofyouordirectlybehindyou,youhadtroubledetermining
wherethesoundwascomingfrom.Canyouguesswhythismighthavehappened?Yourearsareplaceddirectly
acrossfromoneanother.Ifanoisehappensdirectlyinfrontofyou,ithitsyourbothearsattheexactsametime.
Yourbrainhasnocluesastowherethesoundiscomingfromifthesoundhitsbothearsatthesametimesoit
makesitsbestguess.Inthiscase,itsbestguessmaybewrong.Let’stryonemorethinghere.
7. Sitorstandinthemiddleofaroom.
8. Closeyoureyesorputontheblindfold.
9. Putanearpluginoneofyourears.Ifyoudon’thaveone,useyourfingertocoveryourear.Beverycareful
nottoputyourfingerintoyourear.Justuseyourfingertocovertheholeinyourear.
10. Haveyourpartnerwalktoanotherpartoftheroomasquietlyaspossible.
11. Haveyourpartnermakethenoisemakermakeanoise.Thiswillworkbestifthenoiseisnottooloud.
12. Withyoureyesstillclosed,pointtowhereyouthinkthesoundcamefrom.
13. Tryitseveraltimesandthenletyourpartnertrytofindthesound.
Howdidyoudowithjustoneear?Didyougetfooledalittlemoreoftenthistime?Yourbrainhasfewercluesto
workwithsoitdoesthebestitcanwithwhatithas.
Exercises
1. Howdoyourtwoearsworktogethertodeterminethelocationofasound?(Soundhitsoneearslightly
beforeithitstheotherear,andyourbrainmakesaguessastowherethesoundiscomingfromandhowfar
awayitisbasedonyourexperience.)
2. Doesitmatterwhatfrequency(howhighorlow)thesoundis?Aresomefrequencieseasiertodetectthan
otherswithonlyoneear?(answerswillvary)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#15:EarTricks
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Thinkofyourearsas”soundantennas.”There’sareasonyouhaveTWOofthese–andthat’swhatthis
experimentisallabout.
WhattoLearn:Soundismadebyvibratingobjectsandcanbedescribedbyitspitchandvolume.
Materials




noisemaker
partner
blindfold
earplugs
LabTime
1.
2.
3.
4.
Sitorstandinthemiddleofaroom.
Closeyoureyesorputontheblindfold.
Haveyourpartnerwalktoanotherpartoftheroomasquietlyaspossible.
Haveyourpartnermovethesoundmakeraroundtheroom,butalsomakesureyourpartnermakesthe
sounddirectlyinfrontofyou,behindyouandoveryourheadaswell.
5. Withyoureyesstillclosed,pointtowhereyouthinkthesoundcamefrom.
6. Tryitseveraltimesandthenletyourpartnerhaveaturn.
Didyougetfooledthistime?Thisworkssometimes,butnotalways.WhatIhopehappenedwaswhenthe
noisemakerwasaboveyourhead,directlyinfrontofyouordirectlybehindyou,youhadtroubledetermining
wherethesoundwascomingfrom.Canyouguesswhythismighthavehappened?Yourearsareplaceddirectly
acrossfromoneanother.Ifanoisehappensdirectlyinfrontofyou,ithitsyourbothearsattheexactsametime.
Yourbrainhasnocluesastowherethesoundiscomingfromifthesoundhitsbothearsatthesametimesoit
makesitsbestguess.Inthiscase,itsbestguessmaybewrong.Let’stryonemorethinghere.
7. Closeyoureyesorputontheblindfold.
8. Putanearpluginoneofyourears.Ifyoudon’thaveone,useyourfingertocoveryourear.Beverycareful
nottoputyourfingerintoyourear.Justuseyourfingertocovertheholeinyourear.
9. Haveyourpartnerwalktoanotherpartoftheroomasquietlyaspossible.
10. Haveyourpartnermakethenoisemakermakeanoise.Thiswillworkbestifthenoiseisnottooloud.
11. Withyoureyesstillclosed,pointtowhereyouthinkthesoundcamefrom.
12. Tryitseveraltimesandthenletyourpartnertrytofindthesound.
Howdidyoudowithjustoneear?Didyougetfooledalittlemoreoftenthistime?Yourbrainhasfewercluesto
workwithsoitdoesthebestitcanwithwhatithas.
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ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Howdoyourtwoearsworktogethertodeterminethelocationofasound?
2. Doesitmatterwhatfrequency(howhighorlow)thesoundis?Aresomefrequencieseasiertodetectthan
otherswithonlyoneear?
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Lesson#16:HummingBalloon
TeacherSection
Overview:Youcaneasilymakeahumming,screechingballoonusingjustalittlebitofphysicsknowledgeabout
sonicvibrations.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnhowsoundismadebyvibratingobjectsandcanbedescribedbyitspitchand
volume.
Materials(perlabgroup)



hexnut
balloon
optional:othersmalloptions(washer,variouscoins,marble,etc.)
LabPreparation
1.
2.
3.
4.
Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
Ifyou’vegotaclassfullofyoungstudents,alsobringapumpsoyoucanquicklyandeasilyblowupthe
balloonsforthekids.
BackgroundLessonReading
Soundisaformofenergythatourearscanhearwhensoundvibrationsreachthem.Sound’senergyvibrations
travelinwavestoourears.
Thepitchtellsushowhighorlowasoundis.Pitchrepresentsthefrequencyofsoundvibrations.Highvibrations
arehighfrequencyandhighpitch.Lowvibrationsarelowfrequencyandlowpitch.
Inthisexperiment,studentswillbeabletochangethepitchdependingonhowfastthehexnutisspinning.They’ll
alsobeabletofeelthevibrationswhichproducethesound.
Lesson
1. Soundisaformofenergythattravelstoourearsviavibratingwaves.
2. Askstudentstoexplainasound’spitch.
3. Pitchishowloworhighasoundistous.Highfrequencysoundshaveahighpitchandlowfrequency
soundshavealowpitch.
4. Intoday’sexperiment,we’llnotonlybeabletochangethesound’spitch,butwe’llalsobeabletoactually
feelANDhearthesoundwaves.
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LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
3. PlaceahexnutORasmallcoininalargeballoon.
4. Inflatetheballoonandtieit.
5. Swirltheballoonrapidlytocausethehexnutorcointorollinsidetheballoon.Thecoinwillrollforavery
longtimeonthesmoothballoonsurface.
6. Athighcoinspeeds,thefrequencywithwhichthecoincirclestheballoonmayresonatewithoneofthe
balloon’s“naturalfrequencies,”andtheballoonmayhumloudly.
Exercises
1. Howdoessoundtravel?(viavibratingwaves)
2. Whatispitch?(howhighorlowasoundis)
3. Howisfrequencyrelatedtopitch?(Highfrequencymeanshighpitch,lowfrequencymeanslowpitch.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#16:HummingBalloon
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Youcaneasilymakeahumming,screechingballoonusingjustalittlebitofphysicsknowledgeabout
sonicvibrations.
WhattoLearn:Soundismadebyvibratingobjectsandcanbedescribedbyitspitchandvolume.
Materials



hexnut
balloon
optional:othersmalloptions(washer,variouscoins,marble,etc.)
LabTime
1. PlaceahexnutORasmallcoininalargeballoon.
2. Inflatetheballoonandtieit.
3. Swirltheballoonrapidlytocausethehexnutorcointorollinsidetheballoon.Thecoinwillrollforavery
longtimeonthesmoothballoonsurface.
4. Athighcoinspeeds,thefrequencywithwhichthecoincirclestheballoonmayresonatewithoneofthe
balloon’s“naturalfrequencies,”andtheballoonmayhumloudly.
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HummingBalloonDataTable
Objectinserted
intoballoon
Didyouswirltheballoon
slow,medium,orfast?
Noisemade?Volume?
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Howdoessoundtravel?
2. Whatispitch?
3. Howisfrequencyrelatedtopitch?
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Lesson#17:Harmonica
TeacherSection
Overview:Soundiscausedbysomethingvibrating.Ifyoucanhearit,youcanbetthatsomewhere,somethingis
vibratingmoleculesandthosemoleculesarevibratingyoureardrums.Thesoundmaybecomingfromacar,
thunder,aballoonpopping,clappinghands,oryourgoldfishblowingbubblesinhertank.However,nomatter
whereit’scomingfrom,whatyouarehearingisvibratingparticles,usuallyvibratingairmolecules.
Suggested Time: 30-45 minutes
Objectives:Studentswillcontinuelearningabouthowsoundismade,andhowvibratingobjectscanbedescribed
byitspitchandvolume.
Materials(perlabgroup)





tonguedepressorpopsiclesticks(2)
rubberbands(3,oneatleast1/4″wide)
paper
tape
ruler
LabPreparation
1.
2.
3.
4.
Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
Precutthepaperstripsasshowninthevideo,oneforeachperson.
BackgroundLessonReading
Whathappensifyouplaceanalarmclockinouterspace?Willyouhearitring?
Whenyouputanalarmclockinaspacewithoutair,nosoundcancomefromtheclock.There’snothingtotransfer
thevibrationalenergy.It’sliketryingtograbholdoffog–there’snothingtoholdonto.
Soundisaformofenergy.Energyistheabilitytomovesomethingoveradistanceagainstaforce.Whatismoving
tomakesoundenergy?
Molecules.Moleculesarevibratingbackandforthatfairlyhighratesofspeed,creatingwaves.Energymovesfrom
placetoplacebywaves.Soundenergymovesbylongitudinalwaves(thewavesthatarelikeaslinky).The
moleculesvibratebackandforth,crashingintothemoleculesnexttothem,causingthemtovibrate,andsoonand
soforth.Allsoundscomefromvibrations.
Inthisproject,therubberbandvibratesasyoublowacrossittogetasound.Thepitchcanchangebyslidingthe
cuffs(thisdoestakepractice).Rememberthatpitchrepresentsthefrequencyofsoundvibrations.
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Ifyoucan’tgetasound,youmayhaveclampeddowntoohardontheends.Releasesomeofthepressureby
untwistingtherubberbandsontheendsandtryagain.Also–thisonedoesn’tworkwellifyouspittoomuch–wet
surfaceskeeptherubberbandfromvibrating.
Lesson
1.
2.
3.
4.
Tellstudentstoputtheirhandsupagainsttheirthroatsandhum.
Askyourstudentswhattheyfeel.It’savibration!
Canyourstudentsidentifytheorganwherethevibrationoriginates?Itcomesfromourvoicebox,orlarynx.
Thelarynxisahollow,tube‐likestructureatthetopofyourwindpipe.Insideithasstrandsoftissue.Do
yourstudentsknowwhatthesestrandsarecalled?Theyarevocalchords.
5. Vocalchordscomeindifferentlengths.Asairpassesoverthevocalchords,theyvibrate.Wehearthese
vibrationsasourvoices.
6. Shortercordsvibratefaster,resultinginahigherpitchedsound.Longervocalchordsvibratemoreslowly,
whichresultsinlowerpitches.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
3. Ripthepieceofpaperinhalf.
4. Stackpopsiclesticksontopofeachotherandlooselywrapthepaperaroundthem.Thisisyourfirstcuff,
anditshouldbelooseenoughtoslideoffthesticks.
5. Securethepapertoitselfwithtape–don’ttapeittothesticks.
6. Nowfollowsteps4&5againtomakeonemorecuff.
7. Putonerubberbandalongthelengthofonepopsiclestick.
8. Putthecuffsonthisstickwiththerubberbandonit,placingoneoneachend.Placetheotherpopsiclestick
ontopofthisone.
9. Securethestickstogetherbywrappingthetworemainingrubberbandsaroundtheends.
10. Toplaytheharmonica,putthesticksuptoyourmouthandblow.Youcanvarythesoundbymovingthe
cuffs.
Exercises
1. Whatissound?(Soundisaformofenergy.)
2. Whatisenergy?(Energyistheabilitytomovesomethingoveradistanceagainstaforce.)
3. Whatismovingtomakesoundenergy?(molecules)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#17:Harmonica
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Soundiscausedbysomethingvibrating.Ifyoucanhearit,youcanbetthatsomewhere,somethingis
vibratingmoleculesandthosemoleculesarevibratingyoureardrums.Thesoundmaybecomingfromacar,
thunder,aballoonpopping,clappinghands,oryourgoldfishblowingbubblesinhertank.However,nomatter
whereit’scomingfrom,whatyouarehearingisvibratingparticles,usuallyvibratingairmolecules.
WhattoLearnSoundismadebyvibratingobjectsandcanbedescribedbyitspitchandvolume.
Materials





tonguedepressorpopsiclesticks(2)
rubberbands(3,oneatleast1/4″wide)
paper
tape
ruler
LabTime
1. Ripthepieceofpaperinhalf.
2. Stackpopsiclesticksontopofeachotherandlooselywrapthepaperaroundthem.Thisisyourfirstcuff,
anditshouldbelooseenoughtoslideoffthesticks.
3. Securethepapertoitselfwithtape–don’ttapeittothesticks.
4. Nowfollowsteps4&5againtomakeonemorecuff.
5. Putonerubberbandalongthelengthofonepopsiclestick.
6. Putthecuffsonthisstickwiththerubberbandonit,placingoneoneachend.Placetheotherpopsiclestick
ontopofthisone.
7. Securethestickstogetherbywrappingthetworemainingrubberbandsaroundtheends.
8. Toplaytheharmonica,putthesticksuptoyourmouthandblow.Youcanvarythesoundbymovingthe
cuffs.
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HarmonicaDataTable
PitchObserved
(high,medium,low)
DistanceBetweenCuffs
(measureininchesorcm)
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whatissound?
2. Whatisenergy?
3. Whatismovingtomakesoundenergy?
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Lesson#18:BuzzingHornets
TeacherSection
Overview:Whensomethingvibrates,itpushesparticles.Thesepushedparticlescreatealongitudinalwave.Ifthe
longitudinalwavehastherightfrequencyandenoughenergy,youreardrumantennaswillpickitupandyour
brainwillturntheenergyintowhatwecallsound.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnthatsoundismadebyvibratingobjectsandcanbedescribedbyitspitchand
volume.
Materials(perlabgroup)







indexcards(2)
scissors
popsiclestick(tonguedepressor‐sized)
rubberband(thick)
cottonstring(3‐4feet)
hotgluegun
rulerortapemeasure
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Soundismadebythingsvibratingbackandforth,whetherit’saguitarstring,drumhead,orclarinetreed.Theback
andforthmotionofanobject(likethedrumhead)createsasoundwaveintheairthatlooksalotlikearippleina
pondafteryouthrowarockin.Itradiatesoutward,vibratingitsneighboringairmoleculesuntiltheyaremoving
around,too.Thischainreactionkeepshappeninguntilitreachesyourears,whereyour“sounddetectors”pickup
thevibrationandworkwithyourbraintoturnitintosound.
Youcanillustratethisprincipleusingaguitarstring–whenyoupluckthestring,yourearspickupasound.Ifyou
haveextrarubberbands,wrapthemaroundanopenshoeboxtomakeashoeboxguitar.Youcanalsocutaholein
thelid(imageleft)andusewoodenpencilstolifttherubberbandoffthesurfaceoftheshoebox.
Troubleshooting:Mostkidsforgettoputontherubberband,astheygetsoexcitedaboutfinishingthisprojectthat
theygrabthestringandstartslingingitaround…andwonderwhyit’ssosilent!Makesuretheyhaveafatenough
rubberband(about3.5”x¼“–orlarger)ortheywon’tgetasound.
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Variationsinclude:multiplerubberbands,differentsizesofrubberbands,andtryingitwithouttheindexcard
attached.TheBuzzingHornetworksbecauseairzipspasttherubberband,makingitvibrate,andthesoundgets
amplifiedjustabitbytheindexcard.
Lesson
1. Holduparubberband,stretchitandgiveitapluck.Askstudentswhyitmakesasound.
2. Therubberbandmakessoundbecauseofthevibrations.Thefastbackandforthvibrationcreateswavesof
sound.
3. Manythings–likeguitarstrings,drumheads,andmore–createsoundwavesintheairthatlookalotlike
ripplesinapondafterarockistossedin.Thesoundradiatesoutward,vibratingneighboringairparticles
untilthey’reallmoving.
4. Thesevibrating,ripplingwavescontinueuntiltheyreachyourears,wherethevibrationisdetectedand
senttoyourbraintodecipherthesound.
5. We’llexperimentwithvibratingsoundwavesintoday’sactivity.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
3. Cuttwocornersoffonesideofyourindexcard.
4. Runabeadofgluedownthelengthofthepopsiclestickandquicklyattachtothesidewithuntrimmed
corners.Ifyourcardislongerthanthestick,trimitdownwiththescissors.
5. Cutthesecondindexcardinhalf.Foldeachportioninhalfthreetimes.
6. Puthotglueonbothsidesofthepopsiclestickandattachoneofthefoldedindexcardstotheend.
7. Takethesecondfoldedindexcardportion.Tiethestringaroundthemiddle,thenaroundthefoldand
attachittothepopsiclestickasyoudidtheotherportionoftheindexcard.
8. Whenthegluedries,wraptherubberbandalongthelengthofthepopsiclestick.Thisisyourcompleted
hornet.
9. Now,grabtheendofthestringandwhipthehornetaroundyourheadreallyfastuntilyouhearthesound.
10. Whenyouslingthehornetaround,windzipsovertherubberbandandcausesittovibratelikeaguitar
string…andthesoundisfocused(slightly)bythecard.Thecardreallyhelpskeepthecontraptionatthe
correctangletothewindsoitcontinuestomakethesound.
11. Youcantrythiswithdifferent‐sizedrubberbands,multiplerubberbands,andwithouttheindexcard
attached.
Exercises
1. Whateffectdoeschangingthelengthofthestringhaveonthepitch?(Refertodatatable)
2. Whatvibratesinthisexperimenttocreatesound?(therubberband)
3. Whydoweuseanindexcard?(toamplifythevibrationssowecanhearthem)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#18:BuzzingHornets
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Whensomethingvibrates,itpushesparticles.Thesepushedparticlescreatealongitudinalwave.Ifthe
longitudinalwavehastherightfrequencyandenoughenergy,youreardrumantennaswillpickitupandyour
brainwillturntheenergyintowhatwecallsound.
WhattoLearn:Soundismadebyvibratingobjectsandcanbedescribedbyitspitchandvolume.
Materials







indexcards(2)
scissors
popsiclestick(tonguedepressorsized)
rubberband(thick)
cottonstring(3‐4feet)
hotgluegun
rulerortapemeasure
LabTime
1. Cuttwocornersoffonesideofyourindexcard.
2. Runabeadofgluedownthelengthofthepopsiclestickandquicklyattachtothesidewithuntrimmed
corners.Ifyourcardislongerthanthestick,trimitdownwiththescissors.
3. Cutthesecondindexcardinhalf.Foldeachportioninhalfthreetimes.
4. Puthotglueonbothsidesofthepopsiclestickandattachoneofthefoldedindexcardstotheend.
5. Takethesecondfoldedindexcardportion.Tiethestringaroundthemiddle,thenaroundthefoldand
attachittothepopsiclestickasyoudidtheotherportionoftheindexcard.
6. Whenthegluedries,wraptherubberbandalongthelengthofthepopsiclestick.Thisisyourcompleted
hornet.
7. Now,grabtheendofthestringandwhipthehornetaroundyourheadreallyfastuntilyouhearthesound.
8. Whenyouslingthehornetaround,windzipsovertherubberbandandcausesittovibratelikeaguitar
string…andthesoundisfocused(slightly)bythecard.Thecardreallyhelpskeepthecontraptionatthe
correctangletothewindsoitcontinuestomakethesound.
9. Youcantrythiswithdifferent‐sizedrubberbands,multiplerubberbands,andwithouttheindexcard
attached.
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BuzzingHornetsDataTable
PitchObserved
(high,medium,low)
StringLength
(measureininchesorcm)
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whateffectdoeschangingthelengthofthestringhaveonthepitch?
2. Whatvibratesinthisexperimenttocreatesound?
3. Whydoweuseanindexcard?
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Lesson#19:AirHorn
TeacherSection
Overview:Soundcanchangeaccordingtothespeedatwhichittravels.Anotherwordforsoundspeedispitch.
Whenthesoundspeedslows,thepitchlowers.Withclarinetreeds,it'shigh.Guitarstringscandoboth,astheyare
adjustable.Ifyoulookcarefully,youcanactuallyseethelowpitchstringsvibratebackandforth,butthehighpitch
stringsmovesoquicklyit'shardtosee.Butyoucandetecttheeffectsofbothwithyourears.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnthatsoundismadebyvibratingobjectsandcanbedescribedbyitspitchand
volume.
Materials(perlabgroup)




7‐9"balloon
straw
filmcanisterorsimilarsmallplasticcontainer
drillanddrillbits
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Whatisthesoundbarrier?It’swhensomethingtravelsfasterthanthespeedofsound.Whenanobjecttravels
fasterthanthespeedofsound,there’saloudcrackorboomthathappens.
Therearelotsofthingsonearththatbreakthesoundbarrier–bulletsandbullwhips,forexample.Theloudcrack
fromawhipisthetipzippingfasterthanthespeedofsound.
Sowhydowehearaboomatall?Sonicboomsarecreatedwhenanobjecttravelsfasterthansoundwaves.In
ordertodothis,theobjectmustpushenoughairoutofitswayasittearsthroughtheatmosphere.Thefasteran
objecttravelsthroughtheair,themoreairpressureisbuiltupinfrontoftheobject(thinkofhowthewater
collectsatthebowofaboatasittravelsthroughthewater).Theobject,likeanairplane,pushesairmoleculesaside
insuchawaythattheyarecompressedtothepointwhereshockwavesareformed.Theseshockwavesformtwo
cones,atthenoseandtailoftheplane.Theshockwavesmoveoutwardandrearwardinalldirectionsandusually
extendtotheground.
Sincetheairplaneisflying,theshockwavesextendfromtheplanetotheground.Thesharpreleaseofpressure,
afterthebuildupbytheshockwave,isheardasthesonicboom.
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Thisexperimentisrathertricky.Insteadofarubberbandvibratingtomakesound,arubbersheetvibrates,andthe
vibration(sound)shootsoutthestraw.Itwilltakepracticeforyourchildtomakeasoundusingthisdevice.The
strawneedstobarelytouchtheinsidesurfaceoftheballoonatjusttherightangleinorderfortheballoonto
vibrate.Makesureyou’reblowingthroughtheholeintheside,notthroughthestraw.
Lesson
1. Therangeofourearsisabout20‐20,000Hz(cyclespersecond).Askstudentstonamesomeanimalsthat
canhearhigherpitchesthanwedo.
2. Somegoodexamplesaredogsandbats.
3. Inpreviousexperimentswe’velearnedthatsoundisvibrationalandtravelsinwaves.
4. Todaywe’llmakeourownsoundwavesbymakinganairhorn.
5. Yourairhornisaloudexampleofhowsoundwavestravelthroughtheair.
LabTime
NOTE:DONOTplacetheseanywherenearyourear…keepthemstraightoutinfrontofyou.
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
3. Tomakeanairhorn,pokeaholelargeenoughtoinsertastrawintothebottomendofablackKodakfilm
canister.(Weusedthepointytipofawoodenskewer,butadrillcanworkalso.)
4. Beforeyouinsertthestraw,pokeasecondholeinthesideofthecanister,abouthalfwayuptheside.
5. Grabanun‐inflatedballoonandplaceitonyourtable.Seehowtherearetwolayersofrubber(thetop
surfaceandthebottomsurface)?Cuttheneckoffaballoonandsliceitalongoneofthefoldededges(still
un‐inflated!)sothatitnowlaysinaflat,rubbersheetonyourtable.
6. Drapetheballoonsheetovertheopenendofthefilmcanisterandsnapthelidontop,makingsurethere’sa
goodseal(meaningthattheballoonisstretchedovertheentireopening‐nogaps).Insertthestraw
throughthebottomend,andblowthroughthemiddlehole(inthesideofthecanister).
7. You’llneedtoplaywiththisabittogetitright,butit’sworthit!Thestrawneedsto*just*touchtheballoon
surfaceinsidethecanisterandattherightangle,sotakeadeepbreathandgentlywigglethestrawaround
untilyougetaBIGsound.Ifyou’regoodenough,youshouldbeabletogettwoorthreeharmonics!
Exercises
1. Whydoweuseastrawwiththisexperiment?(Toblowacontinuousstreamofairontotherubbersheetto
setupavibrationinthesheet,whichallowsairtoescapeoutthesidewherethestrawcontactstherubber
sheet.)
2. Doesthelengthofthestrawmatter?Whatwillaffectthepitchofthisinstrument?(Airflow,tightnessof
rubbersheet.)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
©2014SuperchargedScience
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Lesson#19:AirHorn
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Soundcanchangeaccordingtothespeedatwhichittravels.Anotherwordforsoundspeedispitch.
Whenthesoundspeedslows,thepitchlowers.Withclarinetreeds,it'shigh.Guitarstringscandoboth,astheyare
adjustable.Ifyoulookcarefully,youcanactuallyseethelowpitchstringsvibratebackandforth,butthehighpitch
stringsmovesoquicklyit'shardtosee.Butyoucandetecttheeffectsofbothwithyourears.
WhattoLearn:Soundismadebyvibratingobjectsandcanbedescribedbyitspitchandvolume.
Materials




7‐9"balloon
straw
filmcanisterorsimilarsmallplasticcontainer
drillanddrillbits
LabTime
NOTE:DONOTplacetheseanywherenearyourear…keepthemstraightoutinfrontofyou.
1. Tomakeanairhorn,pokeaholelargeenoughtoinsertastrawintothebottomendofablackKodakfilm
canister.(Weusedthepointytipofawoodenskewer,butadrillcanworkalso.)
2. Beforeyouinsertthestraw,pokeasecondholeinthesideofthecanister,abouthalfwayuptheside.
3. Grabanun‐inflatedballoonandplaceitonyourtable.Seehowtherearetwolayersofrubber(thetop
surfaceandthebottomsurface)?Cuttheneckoffaballoonandsliceitalongoneofthefoldededges(still
un‐inflated!)sothatitnowlaysinaflat,rubbersheetonyourtable.
4. Drapetheballoonsheetovertheopenendofthefilmcanisterandsnapthelidontop,makingsurethere’sa
goodseal(meaningthattheballoonisstretchedovertheentireopening‐nogaps).Insertthestraw
throughthebottomend,andblowthroughthemiddlehole(inthesideofthecanister).
5. You’llneedtoplaywiththisabittogetitright,butit’sworthit!Thestrawneedsto*just*touchtheballoon
surfaceinsidethecanisterandattherightangle,sotakeadeepbreathandgentlywigglethestrawaround
untilyougetaBIGsound.Ifyou’regoodenough,youshouldbeabletogettwoorthreeharmonics!
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whydoweuseastrawwiththisexperiment?
2. Doesthelengthofthestrawmatter?Whatwillaffectthepitchofthisinstrument?
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Lesson#20:BestParent‐Annoyer
TeacherSection
Overview:Thisisoneofmyabsolutefavorites,becauseit’ssounexpectedandunusual.Thesetuplooksquite
harmless,butitmakesasoundworsethanscratchingyournailsonachalkboard.Ifyoucan’tfindtheweird
ingredient,justusewaterandyou’llgetnearlythesameresult(itjusttakesmorepracticetogetitright).Ready?
NOTE:DONOTplacetheseanywherenearyourear…keepthemstraightoutinfrontofyou.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnthatsoundismadebyvibratingobjectsandcanbedescribedbyitspitchand
volume.
Materials(perlabgroup)




waterorviolinrosin(thisistheweirdingredient)
string
cup(disposableplastic)
pokey‐thingtomakeaholeinthecup
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
2. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
3. Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
BackgroundLessonReading
Soundtravelsinvibratingwaves,likeripplesinapondmovingoutwardfromadroppedstone.Therearethree
componentstosoundthatwe’lllearnabouttoday:Volumeishowloudorsoftasoundit,toneisthecharacterof
thesound,andpitchishowhighorlowthesoundis.
Pitchisdirectlyrelatedtothevibrationalfrequencyofasound.Higherpitcheshavehigherfrequencyandmore
vibration.Lowerpitchesaretheopposite–withslowervibrationsandlowerpitch.
Lesson
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Askstudentswhathappenstothesurfaceofstillwaterwhenarockisthrownintoit.
Littlewaves,orripples,traveloutfromwheretherockenteredthewater.
Soundworksalotlikethis–vibratingsoundwavestravelfromthesound’ssource.
Therearethreepropertiesofsoundthatwe’regoingtotalkabouttoday:volume,pitch,andtone.
Askyourstudentswhatvolumeis.(It’showloudorsoftasoundis.)
Toneissimplythequalityorcharacterofasound.Pitchishowhighorlowthesoundis.
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7. Pitchisdirectlyrelatedtothevibrationalfrequencyofasound.Higherpitcheshavehigherfrequencyand
morevibration.Lowerpitchesaretheopposite–withslowervibrationsandlowerpitch.
8. Ifyourparentasksyoutokeepitdown,whichcomponentofsoundaretheyaskingthatyoudecrease?
Volume,ofcourse!
9. Inthisexperiment,we’llseewhatkindofvolume,tone,andpitchwecanproduce.Grown‐upsmightwant
youtodecreaseallthree!
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
2. Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
3. Pokeaholeinthebottomofthecupthat’slargeenoughtothreadthestringthrough.
4. Threadthestringthroughtheholeandtieaknotintheotherendofthestring.Pullthestringthroughthe
cupuptotheknot. 5. Soakthestringinwater.Alternately,putalayerortwoofviolinrosinalongthelengthofthestring.Make
sureyougetallsidesofthestringcoatedwithrosin.
6. Holdthecupinonehandwhilepinchingthestringwithtwofingersoftheotherhandsothatyourfingers
areabletostickandslipdownthestring.
7. Ifdonejustright,youshouldbeabletoheartheannoyingsound!
Exercises
1. Whatdoestherosin(orwater)dointhisexperiment?(Itcreatesastick‐and‐slipsurfacethatcreatessound
fromfriction.)
2. Whatisvibratinginthisexperiment?(Thestring.)
3. Whatisthecupfor?(Toamplifythesound)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
©2014SuperchargedScience
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Lesson#20:BestParent‐Annoyer
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Thisisoneofmyabsolutefavorites,becauseit’ssounexpectedandunusual.Thesetuplooksquite
harmless,butitmakesasoundworsethanscratchingyournailsonachalkboard.Ifyoucan’tfindtheweird
ingredient,justusewaterandyou’llgetnearlythesameresult(itjusttakesmorepracticetogetitright).Ready?
NOTE:DONOTplacetheseanywherenearyourear…keepthemstraightoutinfrontofyou.
WhattoLearn:Soundismadebyvibratingobjectsandcanbedescribedbyitspitchandvolume.
Materials




waterorviolinrosin(thisistheweirdingredient)
string(afewfeet)
cup(disposableplastic)
pokey‐thingtomakeaholeinthecup
LabTime
1. Pokeaholeinthebottomofthecupthat’slargeenoughtothreadthestringthrough.
2. Threadthestringthroughtheholeandtieaknotintheotherendofthestring.Pullthestringthroughthe
cupuptotheknot. 3. Soakthestringinwater.Alternately,putalayerortwoofviolinrosinalongthelengthofthestring.Make
sureyougetallsidesofthestringcoatedwithrosin.
4. Holdthecupinonehandwhilepinchingthestringwithtwofingersoftheotherhandsothatyourfingers
areabletostickandslipdownthestring.
5. Ifdonejustright,youshouldbeabletoheartheannoyingsound!
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BestParent‐AnnoyerDataTable
PitchObserved
(high,medium,low)
StringLength
(measureininchesorcm)
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whatdoestherosin(orwater)dointhisexperiment?
2. Whatisvibratinginthisexperiment?
3. Whatisthecupfor?
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Lesson#21:SeeingSoundWaves
TeacherSection
Overview:Thissectionisactuallyacollectionoftheexperimentsthatbuildoneachother.We’llbeplayingwith
soundwaves,andtheolderstudentswillcontinueonafterthisexperimenttobuildtheirveryownspeakers.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Studentswilllearnabouthowsoundismadebyvibratingobjectsanditcanbedescribedbypitchand
volume.
Materials(perlabgroup)






radioorsomesortofmusicplayer
balloon
mixingbowl
water
spoon
rubberbands
LabPreparation
1.
2.
3.
4.
Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
Watchthevideoforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.
Note:Ifyoudon’thavespeakersforthekidstouse,usethislabasahomeworklaborademonstrationlab
tosharewiththem.Don’tskipit,asit’sreallyagreatdemonstrationofsoundwaves!IntheLabTime
section,there’sanalternateapproachifyoudon’thaveanyspeakers,soreaditovercarefullytodecide
whichoneyou’dliketodowithyourstudents.
BackgroundLessonReading
Soundisvibratingmolecules.Speakersgetairmoleculestovibrate,creatingwavesthatpushtheair.Eardrums
vibratejustlikespeakersdowhenthesoundwaveshittheears.
You’llbedoingacoupleofdifferentexperimentswiththislab.First,you’llbefeelingthevibrationsfromaspeaker
playingmusic.You’llalsonoticewhathappenswhenyouplaceabowlofwaterrightontopofaspeaker.Next,
you’lluseaballoontodetecttrebleandbasspitchesofmusic,andfinallyyou’llsetupyourownvibrationsusinga
homemadeguitar.
Soundwavesdon’tjusttraveltoyoureardrum.Theytravelallovertheroom,bouncingintoeverythingtheycan
find,includingwindows,tables,chairs,andtheballoonyou’regoingtobeusing.What’scausingtheobjectsto
vibrate?
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Energy.Energycausesobjectstomoveadistanceagainstaforce.Thesoundenergycomingfromthespeakersis
causingtheobjectstovibrate.Youreardrumsmoveinaverysimilarwaytoaballoon,whichiswhywe’regoingto
useitinpartofourexperiment.Youreardrumisaverythinmembrane(liketheballoon)thatismovedbythe
energyofthesound.Youreardrum,however,isevenmoresensitivetosoundsthantheballoonwhichiswhyyou
canhearsoundswhentheballoonisnotvibrating.Ifyoureardrumdoesn’tvibrate,youdon’thearthesound.
Iwantyoutonoticetwothingshere.Soundisvibration.Whensomethingisvibrating,it’smakingasound.When
youstopitfromvibrating,itstopsmakingsound.Anysoundyoueverhearcomesfromsomethingthatisvibrating.
Itmayhavevibratedonce,likeaballoonpopping.Oritmaybevibratingconsistently,likeaguitarstring.
TheotherthingIwantyoutonoticeisthatyoucanactuallyseethevibrations.Ifyouputwaterinthebowlandset
itontopofaspeaker,thetinywavesthatareformedwhenyoufirsthitthebowlarecausedbythevibratingsides
ofthebowl.Thosesamevibrationsarecausingthesoundthatyouhear.
Lesson
1. Rememberthatsoundisvibratingairmolecules.Speakersworkbygettingairmoleculestovibrate.They
pushairtomovethesoundwavestowardyourears.
2. Whatcausesaspeakertovibrate?Energydoes–itcausesobjectstomoveadistanceagainstaforce.
3. Youreardrumsvibratelikethespeakers.Theyarethinmembranesthataremovedbythesoundenergy.
4. Themoreenergyasoundhas,thelouderitis.Amplitudemeasuresthesizeofasoundwave.High
amplitudesoundshavereallybigsoundwaves.
5. Intheseexperiments,you’llbeabletohearANDseethesoundwaveswecreate.
LabTime
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.
Handeachgrouptheirmaterialsandgivethemtimetoperformtheirexperimentandwritedowntheir
observations.
Turnonyourmusicplayerandturnitupfairlyloud.(Kidsshouldlovethispart.)
Takealookatyourspeaker.Youshouldbeabletoseeitvibrating.Ifthere’sasongwithalotofbass,you
shouldreallybeabletoseeitmoving.
Putyourhandonthespeaker.Canyoufeelthevibrations?
Teachers/ParentsOnly:Carefullyputahalf‐filledbowlofwaterontopofyourspeaker.Youshouldbeable
toseethewatervibrate.(Don’tleaveitthere!Putitawayassoonasyou’redonewiththisstep.)
Inflatetheballoon.(Getitfairlylarge.Youwantthemembranetobestretchedfairlythin.)
Turnthemusiconloud(themorebassthebetter!).
Putbothhandslightlyontheballoon.
Walkaroundtheroomholdingtheballoonlightlybetweenyourhands.Trytofeeltheballoonvibrating.
Doestheballoonvibratemoreforlowsoundsorhighsounds?
Ifyouhaveasynthesizer(pianokeyboard)youmaywanttotryturningitupabitandplayingonenoteata
time.Youshouldnoticethattheballoonvibratesmoreorlessasyougoupanddownthemusicalscale.At
veryhighnotes,yourballoonmaynotvibrateatall.
Nowforthelastpart.Takethemixingbowlandputitonthetable.
Smackitwiththewoodenspoon.Listentothesound.
Putyourearnexttothebowlandtrytohearhowlongthesoundcontinues.
Nowhitthebowlagain.
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17. Touchthebowlwithyourhandasecondortwoafteryouhitit.Youshouldhearthesoundstop.Thisis
calleddampening.
18. Now,forfun,fillthebowlwithwateruptoaninchorsofromthetop.
19. Smackthebowlagainandlookverycarefullyatwherethebowltouchesthewater.(Whenyoufirsthitthe
bowl,youshouldseeverysmallwavesinthewater.)
20. Stretchafewrubberbandsaroundtheboxorthebowl.Ifpossible,usedifferentthicknessesofrubber
bands.
21. Strumtherubberbands.
22. Feelfreetoadjusthowstretchedthebandsare.Themorestretched,thehigherthenote.
23. Trypluckingarubberbandsoftly.
24. Nowpluckitfairlyhard.Thehardpluckshouldbelouder.
AgainI’dlikeyoutonoticethreethingshere.Justlikethefirstpartoftheexperiment,youshouldseethatthe
soundiscomingfromthevibration.Aslongastherubberbandvibrates,youhearasound.Ifyoustopthe
rubberbandfromvibrating,youwillstopthesound.Soundisvibration.
ThesecondthingI’dlikeyoutonoticeisthattherubberbandsmakedifferentpitchedsounds.Thethinnerthe
rubberband,orthetighterit’sstretched,thefasteritvibrates.Anotherwaytosay“vibratingfaster”istosay
higherfrequency.Insound,thehigherthefrequencyofvibration,thehigherthepitchofthenote.Thelower
thefrequency,thelowerthepitchofthenote.Theaveragehumanearcanhearsoundatashighafrequencyas
20,000Hz,andaslowas20Hz.Pianos,guitars,violinsandotherinstrumentshavestringsofvarioussizesso
thattheycanvibrateatdifferentfrequenciesandmakedifferentpitchedsounds.Whenyoutalkorsing,you
changethetensionofyourvocalcordstomakedifferentpitches.
Onelastthingtonoticehereiswhathappenedwhenyoupluckedtherubberbandhardorsoftly.Therubber
bandmadealoudernoisetheharderyoupluckedit,right?Rememberagainthatsoundisenergy.Whenyou
pluckedthatrubberbandhard,youputmoreenergyintoitthanwhenyoupluckeditsoftly.Yougaveenergy
(movedthebandadistanceagainstaforce)totherubberband.Whenyoureleasedtherubberband,itmoved
theairagainstaforcewhichcreatedsoundenergy.Forsound,themoreenergyithas,thelouderitis.
Rememberwhenwetalkedaboutamplitudeafewlessonsback?Amplitudeisthesizeofthewave.Themore
energyawavehasthebiggeritis.Whenitcomestosound,thelargerthewave(themoreenergyithas)the
louderitis.Sowhenyoupluckedtherubberbandhard(gaveitlotsofenergy),youmadealoudersound.
IsaidthisinthebeginningbutI’llrepeatithere,hopingthatnowitmakesmoresense:Whensomething
vibrates,itpushesparticlesagainstaforce(createsenergy).Thesepushedparticlescreatelongitudinalwaves.
Ifthelongitudinalwaveshavetherightfrequencyandenoughenergy(loudness),youreardrumantennaswill
pickitupandyourbrainwilltranslatetheenergyintowhatwecallsound.
Exercises
1. Whatissound?(Soundisvibratingairmolecules.)
2. Howdoestherubberbandmakedifferentsounds?(Thinnerrubberbandsarestretchedmoretightly,soit
vibratesfasterandmakesahigherpitchedsound.)
3. Whatdifferencedoesitmakehowhardorsoftyouplucktherubberbands?(Sincesoundisenergy,the
harderyoupluck,themoreenergyyougivetherubberband,whichmeansalargeramplitudesoundwave
andahighervolumeorloudersound.)
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Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#21:SeeingSoundWaves
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:Thissectionisactuallyacollectionoftheexperimentsthatbuildoneachother.We’llbeplayingwith
soundwavesinmanydifferentforms,andyougettohavefunmakingaloudmess.
WhattoLearn:Soundismadebyvibratingobjectsandcanbedescribedbyitspitchandvolume.
Materials






radioorsomesortofmusicplayer
balloon
mixingbowl
water
spoon
rubberbands
LabTime
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Turnonyourmusicplayerandturnitupfairlyloud.
Takealookatyourspeaker.Youshouldbeabletoseeitvibrating.Ifthere’sasongwithalotofbass,you
shouldreallybeabletoseeitmoving.
Putyourhandonthespeaker.Canyoufeelthevibrations?
Teachers/ParentsOnly:Carefullyputahalf‐filledbowlofwaterontopofyourspeaker.Youshouldbeable
toseethewatervibrate.(Don’tleaveitthere!Putitawayassoonasyou’redonewiththisstep.)
Inflatetheballoon.(Getitfairlylarge.Youwantthemembranetobestretchedfairlythin.)
Turnthemusiconloud(themorebassthebetter!).
Putbothhandslightlyontheballoon.
Walkaroundtheroomholdingtheballoonlightlybetweenyourhands.Trytofeeltheballoonvibrating.
Doestheballoonvibratemoreforlowsoundsorhighsounds?
Ifyouhaveasynthesizer(pianokeyboard)youmaywanttotryturningitupabitandplayingonenoteata
time.Youshouldnoticethattheballoonvibratesmoreorlessasyougoupanddownthemusicalscale.At
veryhighnotes,yourballoonmaynotvibrateatall.
Nowforthelastpart.Takethemixingbowlandputitonthetable.
Smackitwiththewoodenspoon.Listentothesound.
Putyourearnexttothebowlandtrytohearhowlongthesoundcontinues.
Nowhitthebowlagain.
Touchthebowlwithyourhandasecondortwoafteryouhitit.Youshouldhearthesoundstop.Thisis
calleddampening.
Now,forfun,fillthebowlwithwateruptoaninchorsofromthetop.
Smackthebowlagainandlookverycarefullyatwherethebowltouchesthewater.(Whenyoufirsthitthe
bowl,youshouldseeverysmallwavesinthewater.)
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18. Stretchafewrubberbandsaroundtheboxorthebowl.Ifpossible,usedifferentthicknessesofrubber
bands.
19. Strumtherubberbands.
20. Feelfreetoadjusthowstretchedthebandsare.Themorestretched,thehigherthenote.
21. Trypluckingarubberbandsoftly.
22. Nowpluckitfairlyhard.Thehardpluckshouldbelouder.
Again,I’dlikeyoutonoticethreethingshere.Justlikethefirstpartoftheexperiment,youshouldseethatthe
soundiscomingfromthevibration.Aslongastherubberbandvibrates,youhearasound.Ifyoustopthe
rubberbandfromvibrating,youwillstopthesound.Soundisvibration.
ThesecondthingI’dlikeyoutonoticeisthattherubberbandsmakedifferentpitchedsounds.Thethinnerthe
rubberband,orthetighterit’sstretched,thefasteritvibrates.Anotherwaytosay“vibratingfaster”istosay
higherfrequency.Insound,thehigherthefrequencyofvibration,thehigherthepitchofthenote.Thelower
thefrequency,thelowerthepitchofthenote.Theaveragehumanearcanhearsoundatashighafrequencyas
20,000Hz,andaslowas20Hz.Pianos,guitars,violinsandotherinstrumentshavestringsofvarioussizesso
thattheycanvibrateatdifferentfrequenciesandmakedifferentpitchedsounds.Whenyoutalkorsing,you
changethetensionofyourvocalcordstomakedifferentpitches.
Onelastthingtonoticehereiswhathappenedwhenyoupluckedtherubberbandhardorsoftly.Therubber
bandmadealoudernoisetheharderyoupluckedit,right?Rememberagainthatsoundisenergy.Whenyou
pluckedthatrubberbandhard,youputmoreenergyintoitthanwhenyoupluckeditsoftly.Yougaveenergy
(movedthebandadistanceagainstaforce)totherubberband.Whenyoureleasedtherubberband,itmoved
theairagainstaforcewhichcreatedsoundenergy.Forsound,themoreenergyithas,thelouderitis.
Rememberwhenwetalkedaboutamplitudeafewlessonsback?Amplitudeisthesizeofthewave.Themore
energyawavehasthebiggeritis.Whenitcomestosound,thelargerthewave(themoreenergyithas)the
louderitis.Sowhenyoupluckedtherubberbandhard(gaveitlotsofenergy),youmadealoudersound.
IsaidthisinthebeginningbutI’llrepeatithere,hopingthatnowitmakesmoresense:Whensomething
vibrates,itpushesparticlesagainstaforce(createsenergy).Thesepushedparticlescreatelongitudinalwaves.
Ifthelongitudinalwaveshavetherightfrequencyandenoughenergy(loudness),youreardrumantennaswill
pickitupandyourbrainwilltranslatetheenergyintowhatwecallsound.
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SeeingSoundWavesDataTable
RubberBandSize
PluckingHardorSoft?
Pitch/Volume
Observations
ExercisesAnswerthequestionsbelow:
1. Whatissound?
2. Howdoestherubberbandmakedifferentsounds?
3. Whatdifferencedoesitmakehowhardorsoftyouplucktherubberbands?
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Lesson#22:BuildingSpeakers
TeacherSection
ThisisaBonusLab,meaningthatit’sinadditiontotheexperimentsthekidsgettodothroughoutthe
course.Feelfreetoskipthislabifthematerialsareoutofyourbudget,orsaveitasatreatfortheendof
theyear.
Overview:AlexanderGrahamBelldevelopedthetelegraph,microphone,andtelephonebackinthelate1800s.
We’llbetalkingaboutelectromagnetisminalaterunit,butwe’regoingtocoverafewbasicsheresoyoucan
understandhowloudspeakerstransformanelectricalsignalintosound.
SuggestedTime:30‐45minutes
Objectives:Kidswilllearntheroleofelectromagnetsintheconstructionofsimpledevicessuchasmicrophones,
speakers,doorbellsandearphones.
Materials(perlabgroup)













foamplate
plasticcup
copypaper(onesheet)
businesscards(3)
magnetwireAWG30or32(RS#278‐1345)
neodymiummagnets(2‐4,usethesefrompreviousexperiments)
discmagnet(1”donut‐shapedmagnet)(RS#64‐1888)
indexcardsorstiffpaper
cup(plasticdisposable)
tape
hotgluegun
scissors
audioplug(RS#42‐2420)orothercablethatfitsintoyourstereo(iPODsandothersmalldevicesarenot
recommendedforthisproject–youneedsomethingwithbuilt‐inamplifierlikeanoldboombox)
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets.
2. Watchthetwovideosforthisexperimenttoprepareforteachingthisclass.Youcanshowthefirstvideoto
yourstudentssoyoudon’thavetosearchforanyfancyequipment.
3. Haveoneboomboxatthefrontoftheroomforstudentstotesttheirspeakerswith.
4. ReadovertheBackgroundLessonReadingbeforeteachingthisclass.
5. Youcanhavesomestudentsmaketheirspeakersfromthefoamplate,othersusingtheplasticcupsoyou
cancompare.Trydifferentsizesofplatesandcupsaswell.Attheendofthelab,havethestudentschart
theirresultstogethertofindthebestcombinationformakingaspeaker.
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BackgroundLessonReading
Let’stalkaboutthetelegraph.Atelegraphisasmallelectromagnetthatyoucanswitchonandoff.The
electromagnetisasimplelittlethingmadebywrappinginsulatedwirearoundanail.Anelectromagnetisamagnet
youcanturnonandoffwithelectricity,anditonlyworkswhenyouplugitintoabattery.
Anytimeyourunelectricitythroughawire,youalsogetamagneticfield.Youcanamplifythiseffectbyhavinglots
ofwireinasmallspace(hencewrappingthewirearoundanail)toconcentratethemagneticeffect.Theoppositeis
truealso–ifyourubapermanentmagnetalongthelengthoftheelectromagnet,you’llgetanelectriccurrent
flowingthroughthewire.Magneticfieldscauseelectricfields,andelectricfieldscausemagneticfields.Gotit?
Amicrophonehasasmallelectromagnetnexttoapermanentmagnet,separatedbyathinspace.Thecoilis
allowedtomoveabit(becauseit’slighterthanthepermanentmagnet).Whenyouspeakintoamicrophone,your
voicesendssoundwavesthatvibratethecoil,andeachtimethecoilmoves,itcausesanelectricalsignaltoflow
throughthewires,whichgetspickedupbyyourrecordingsystem.
Aloudspeakerworkstheoppositeway.Anelectricalsignal(likemusic)zingsthroughthecoil(whichisalso
allowedtomoveandattachedtoyourspeakercone),whichisattractedorrepulsedbythepermanentmagnet.The
coilvibrates,takingtheconewithit.Theconevibratestheairarounditandsendssoundswavestoreachyourear.
Ifyouplacedyourhandoverthespeakerasitwasboomingoutsound,youfeltsomethingagainstyourhand,right?
That’sthesoundwavesbeinggeneratedbythespeakercone.Eachtimethespeakerconemovesaround,itcreatea
vibrationintheairthatyoucandetectwithyourears.Fordeepnotes,theconemovesthemost,andalotofairgets
shovedatonce,soyouhearalownote.Whichiswhyyoucanblowoutyourspeakersifyourbassiscrankeduptoo
much.Doesthatmakesense?
Lesson
1. We’regoingtodemonstratehowtouseasignalgeneratortodriveaspeakeratdifferentfrequenciesinthe
video(right).Weevenbroughtinaspecialist(withverygoodhearing!)todetectthefullrangeofsound
andusedaspecialmicrophoneduringrecording,soyoushouldhearthesamethingwedidduringthe
testing.Youcanshowthisvideotoyourstudents.
2. We’vecomealongwaywiththismagnetismthingandhopefullyyou’refeelingprettygoodabouthow
magnetismworksandwhatitdoes.Nowwe’regoingtousewhatwe’velearnedtomakesimpleversionsof
twogadgetsthatyouuseeveryday.
3. Let’sstartwiththeslightlysimplergadget.Tounderstandwhat’shappeninghere,weneedtorecap:
Remember,thatelectricityismovingelectrons,andwhatdomovingelectronscreate?Amagneticfield.
4. Also,rememberthatamagneticfield,whenmovednearametalthatcanconductelectricity,willcreatean
electriccurrentinthatmetal.
5. Magnetismcancreateelectricityandelectricitycancreatemagnetism.Now,let’sgowaybackintimeand
trytoremembertheworkwedidwithsoundinUnit6.Soundisvibrations.Ifsomethingvibratesbetween
afrequencyof20‐20,000Hzourearscandetectitassound.
6. Tomakeaspeaker,weneedtosomehowmakesomethingvibrate.“Hmmm,Iwonderifthis
magnetism/electricitycouldsomehowbeusefulhere.”
7. Sowhat’sgoingonwithaspeaker?Whatmakesitwork?Okay,here’sthedeal.Theradioprovidesthe
electricitythatgetspumpedthroughthewires.Theradioveryquicklypumpselectricityinonedirection
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8.
9.
10.
11.
andthenswitchestopumpitintheotherdirection.Thismovementofelectronsbackandforthcreatesa
magneticfieldinthecoilofwire.
Sincetheelectricitykeepsreversing,themagneticfieldkeepsreversing.Basically,thepolesonthe
electromagnetformedbythecoilgofromnorthtosouthandbackagain.Sincethepoleskeepreversing,the
permanentmagnetyouhavetapedtothecupkeepsgettingattracted,thenrepelled,attracted,then
repelled.Thiscausesvibrations.
Thespeakercone(orcup,asinthespeakerwe’regoingtomake)that’sstrappedtothecoilandmagnet
actsasasoundcone.Themagnetcausesthesoundconetovibrate,andsinceit’srelativelylarge,itcauses
airtovibrate.Thisisthesoundthatyouhear.
Almostallspeakersworkjustliketheoneyouaregoingtocreatenow.Theyjustusefanciermaterialsso
thatthesoundislouderandclearer.
Thesespeakersaremadefromcheapmaterialsandarefordemonstrationpurposesonly…theydonot
haveanamplifier,soyou’llneedtoplaceyourearclosetothespeakertodetectthesound.DONOT
connectthesespeakersuptoyouriPodorotherexpensivestereoequipment,asthesespeakersare
verylowresistance(lessthan2ohms)andcandamageyoursoundequipmentifyou’renotcareful.The
bestsourceofmusicforthesespeakersisanoldboomboxwithaplacetopluginyourheadphones.
LabTime
1. Reviewtheinstructionsontheirworksheetsandthenbreakthestudentsintotheirlabgroups.Handeach
grouptheirmaterials.
2. Watchthevideofirstsoyoucanshowthekidshowtobuildtheirspeakers!Herearethebasicstepsfrom
thevideo.
3. Cutabusinesscardinhalflengthwise.Foldeachstripinhalf,andthenfoldthelengthsinhalfagainsoyou
haveaW‐shape.
4. Stackyourmagnetstogetherandrollasmallstripofcopypaperaroundthemagnets.Tapethepaperinto
place.Dothisonemoretime,soyounowhavetwopapercylindersleevesaroundyourmagnets.
5. Wrapthemagnetwire20‐50timesaroundthepapertube(keepthemagnetsinsidesothisstepiseasier).
Securewithtape.
6. Carefullyremoveonlytheinsidepapersleeveanddiscard(youcantakethemagnetsoutwhenyoudothis).
7. Trimonesideofthepapersoonesideofthecoilisnearthepaperedge.
8. Hotgluetheuncutsideofthepapertubetothebottomofafoamplate.
9. HotglueonesideoftheW‐shapeofthebusinesscardtothebottomofthefoamplate.YouwantaW‐shape
oneithersideofthepapertube,aninchortwoaway.
10. Hotglueyourmagnetstothecenterofastiffpieceofcardboard.
11. PlaceyourpapertubeoverthemagnetsandgluetheW‐shapestothecardboard.Theseareyour“springs.”.
12. Taptheplatelightlywithyourfinger.Makesurethefoamplateisfreetobounceupanddown.
13. Sandtheendsofeachmagnetwiretostripawaytheinsulation.
14. Unscrewtheplasticinsulationfromtheaudioplugandwraponewirearoundeachterminal.Makesurethe
twocontactsandwiresdon’ttoucheachother,oryourspeakerwon’twork.Youcansecureeach
connectionwithtape.
15. Plugitintoyourboomboxandplayyourmusiconthehighestvolume.Youshouldhearthemusiccoming
fromyourspeaker!
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Exercises
1. Doesitmatterhowstrongthemagnetsare?(Yes,thestrongertheyare,thebetterthesignalyouhearfrom
thespeaker.)
2. Whatelsecanyouusebesidesafoamplate?(plasticcups,paperplates…)
3. Whichworksbetter:alargerorsmallermagnetwirecoil?(larger)
4. Howcanyoudetectmagneticfields?(withacompass)
5. Howdoesanelectromagnetwork?(Whenyouputelectricitythroughthewire,itturnsitintoamagnet.)
6. Howdoesyourspeakerwork?(RefertotheBackgroundReadingSection.)
7. Isaspeakerthesameasamicrophone?(No–theyareopposite.RefertotheBackgroundReadingSection.)
8. Doestheshapeandsizeoftheplatematter?Whatifyouuseaplasticcup?(Yes–shapeandsizedomatter!)
Closure:Beforemovingon,askyourstudentsiftheyhaveanyrecommendationsorunansweredquestionsthat
theycanworkoutontheirown.Brainstormingextensionideasisagreatwaytoaddmoresciencestudiestoyour
classtime.
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Lesson#22:BuildingSpeakers
StudentWorksheet
Name______________________________________________________________________
Overview:We’llbemakingdifferentkindsofspeakersusinghouseholdmaterials(likeplasticcups,foamplates,
andbusinesscards!),butbeforewebegin,weneedtomakesureyoureallyunderstandafewbasicprinciples.
WhattoLearn:Anelectricalsignal(likemusic)zingsthroughthecoil(whichisalsoallowedtomoveandattached
toyourspeakercone),whichisattractedorrepulsedbythepermanentmagnet.Thecoilvibrates,takingthecone
withit.Theconevibratestheairarounditandsendssoundswavestoreachyourear.
Materials
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foamplate
plasticcup
copypaper(onesheet)
businesscards(3)
magnetwireAWG30or32(RS#278‐1345)
neodymiummagnets(2‐4,usethesefrompreviousexperiments)
discmagnet(1”donut‐shapedmagnet)(RS#64‐1888)
indexcardsorstiffpaper
cup(plasticdisposable)
tape
hotgluegun
scissors
audioplug(RS#42‐2420)orothercablethatfitsintoyourstereo(iPodsandothersmalldevicesarenot
recommendedforthisproject–youneedsomethingwithbuilt‐inamplifierlikeanoldboombox)
LabTime
1. Cutabusinesscardinhalflengthwise.Foldeachstripinhalf,andthenfoldthelengthsinhalfagainsoyou
haveaW‐shape.
2. Stackyourmagnetstogetherandrollasmallstripofcopypaperaroundthemagnets.Tapethepaperinto
place.Dothisonemoretime,soyounowhavetwopapercylindersleevesaroundyourmagnets.
3. Wrapthemagnetwire20‐50timesaroundthepapertube(keepthemagnetsinsidesothisstepiseasier).
Securewithtape.
4. Carefullyremoveonlytheinsidepapersleeveanddiscard(youcantakethemagnetsoutwhenyoudo
this).
5. Trimonesideofthepapersoonesideofthecoilisnearthepaperedge.
6. Hotgluetheuncutsideofthepapertubetothebottomofafoamplate.
7. HotglueonesideoftheW‐shapeofthebusinesscardtothebottomofthefoamplace.YouwantaW‐shape
oneithersideofthepapertube,aninchortwoaway.
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8. Hotglueyourmagnetstothecenterofastiffpieceofcardboard.
9. PlaceyourpapertubeoverthemagnetsandgluetheW‐shapestothecardboard.Theseareyour
”springs.”.
10. Taptheplatelightlywithyourfinger.Makesurethefoamplateisfreetobounceupanddown.
11. Sandtheendsofeachmagnetwiretostripawaytheinsulation.
12. Unscrewtheplasticinsulationfromtheaudioplugandwraponewirearoundeachterminal.Makesure
thetwocontactsandwiresdon’ttoucheachother,oryourspeakerwon’twork.Youcansecureeach
connectionwithtape.
13. Plugitintoyourboomboxandplayyourmusiconthehighestvolume.Youshouldhearthemusiccoming
fromyourspeaker!
Exercises
Answerthequestionsbelow:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Doesitmatterhowstrongthemagnetsare?
Whatelsecanyouusebesidesafoamplate?
Whichworksbetter:alargerorsmallermagnetwirecoil?
Howcanyoudetectmagneticfields?
Howdoesanelectromagnetwork?
Howdoesyourspeakerwork?
Isaspeakerthesameasamicrophone?
Doestheshapeandsizeoftheplatematter?Whatifyouuseaplasticcup?
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Forces&MotionPart1Evaluation
TeacherSection
Overview:Kidswilldemonstratehowwelltheyunderstandimportantkeyconceptsfromthissection.
SuggestedTime:45‐60minutes
Objectives:StudentswillbetestedonthekeyconceptsofForces&Motion:
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Anobject’smotioncanbedescribedbyrecordingthechangeinitspositionovertime.
Foranypairofinteractingobjects,theforceexertedbythefirstobjectonthesecondobjectisequalin
strengthtotheforcethatthesecondobjectexertsonthefirst,butintheoppositedirection(Newton’sThird
Law).
Electricandmagneticforcesbetweenapairofobjectsdonotrequiretheobjectsbeincontact.Thesizeof
theforcesdependsonthepropertiesoftheobjects,theirdistanceapart,andinthecaseofmagnets,their
orientation.
Gravitationalforcesarealwaysattractive.Thereisagravitationalforcebetweenanytwomasses,butitis
verysmallexceptwhenoneorbothoftheobjectshavelargemass—e.g.,Earthandthesun.
Studentswillalsodemonstratetheseprinciples:
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Makeobservationsandmeasurementsonanobject’smotiontofigureoutthepredictablepatternof
motion.
Designanexperimentthatshowswhenthearrangementsofobjectsinteractingatadistancechanges,
differentamountsofpotentialenergyarestoredinthesystem.
Showthatwhenthemotionenergyofanobjectchanges,energyistransferredtoorfromtheobject.
Showthatgravitationalinteractionsareattractiveanddependonthemassesoftheobjects.
Differentiateobservationfrominference(interpretation)andknowscientists’explanationscomepartly
fromwhattheyobserveandpartlyfromhowtheyinterprettheirobservations.
Measureandestimatetheweight,lengthandvolumeofobjects.
Formulateandjustifypredictionsbasedoncause‐and‐effectrelationships.
Conductmultipletrialstotestapredictionanddrawconclusionsabouttherelationshipsbetween
predictionsandresults.
Constructandinterpretgraphsfrommeasurements.
Followasetofwritteninstructionsforascientificinvestigation.
Materials(onesetforentireclass)
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aball
LabPreparation
1. Printoutcopiesofthestudentworksheets,lappractical,andquiz.
2. Haveatubofthematerialsinfrontofyouatyourdesk.Kidswillcomeupwhencalledanddemonstrate
theirknowledgeusingthesematerials.
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Lesson
Thestudentsaretakingtwoteststoday:thequizandthelabpractical.Thequiztakesabout20minutes,andyou’ll
findtheanswerkeytomakeiteasytograde.
LabPractical
StudentswilldemonstrateindividuallythattheyknowhowtodemonstrateNewton’sThreeLawsofMotion.While
otherkidsarewaitingfortheirturn,theywillgetstartedontheirhomeworkassignment.Yougettodecide
whethertheydotheirassignmentindividuallyorasagroup.
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Forces&MotionPart1Evaluation
StudentWorksheet
Overview:Todayyou’regoingtotaketwodifferenttests:thequizandthelabpractical.You’regoingtotakethe
writtenquizfirst,andthelabpracticalattheendofthislab.Thelabpracticalisn’tapapertest–it’swhereyouget
toshowyourteacherthatyouknowhowtodosomething.
LabTest&Homework
1. Yourteacherwillcallyouupsoyoucansharehowmuchyouunderstandaboutforcesandmotionaswe’ve
studieditintheselessons.Sincescienceissomuchmorethanjustreadingabookorcirclingtheright
answer,thisisanimportantpartofthetesttofindoutwhatyoureallyunderstand.
2. Whileyouarewaitingforyourturntoshowyourteacherhowmuchofthisstuffyoualreadyknow,youget
togetstartedonyourhomeworkassignment.Theassignmentisduenextweek,andhalfthecreditisfor
creativityandtheotherhalfisforcontent,soreallyletyourimaginationflyasyouworkthroughit.Choose
one:
a. WriteashortstoryorskitaboutNewton’sLawsofMotionfromtheperspectiveoftheobject(likea
balloraplanet).You’llreadthisaloudtoyourclass.
b. MakeaposterthatteachesthemainconceptsofNewton’sThreeLawsofMotion.Whenyou’re
finished,you’lluseittoteachtoaclassintheyoungergradesanddemonstrateeachoftheprinciples
thatyou’velearned.
c. Writeandperformapoemorsongaboutvelocity,acceleration,forces,frictionand/orgravity.This
willbeperformedforyourclass.
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Forces&MotionPart1Quiz
Teacher’sAnswerKey
1. WhatisNewton’sThirdLawofMotion?(Foreveryaction,thereisanequalandoppositereaction.)
2. Whatisvelocity?(It’sthemeasureofspeedcombinedwiththedirectionanobjectistraveling.)
3. Whichforcescanbeattractiveorrepulsive?Dotheirsizesdependonthemagnitudesofthecharges?Give
anexample.(Electricandmagnetic,andyesitdoes–thecurrents,ormagneticstrengthsdependonthe
distancesbetweentheinteractingobjects.Twomagnetscaninteractwithouttouching–onecanpushon
theotherwhenthesamepolesarefacingeachother.)
4. Dotwoobjectsinteractingwitheachotherelectricallyneedtobeincontact?(No.)
5. Gravitationalforcesarealways:attractive,repulsive,orboth?(Attractive.)
6. Trueorfalse?Gravitypullsonallthingsequally.(False!)
7. Trueorfalse?Gravityacceleratesallthingsequally.(True!)
8. Howisaccelerationdifferentfromspeedandvelocity?(Speedisdistanceperunittime,velocityisspeed
anddirection,andaccelerationisthechangeinvelocity,whichmeansachangeinthespeedorachangein
thedirection.)
9. Whatisfriction?(theresistancethathappenswhentwosurfacescomeintocontactwitheachother)
10. WhatisNewton’sFirstLaw?(Objectsatreststayatrest,andanobjectinmotionstaysinmotionwiththe
samespeedandinthesamedirectionunlessacteduponbyanunbalancedforce.)
11. WhatconceptdoesNewton’sSecondLawofMotiondealwith?(force,mass,andacceleration)
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Forces&MotionPart1Quiz
Name__________________________________________________________
1. WhatisNewton’sThirdLawofMotion?
2. Whatisvelocity?
3. Whichforcescanbeattractiveorrepulsive?Dotheirsizesdependonthemagnitudesofthecharges?Give
anexample.
4. Dotwoobjectsinteractingwitheachotherelectricallyneedtobeincontact?
5. Gravitationalforcesarealways:attractive,repulsive,orboth?
6. Trueorfalse?Gravitypullsonallthingsequally.
7. Trueorfalse?Gravityacceleratesallthingsequally.
8. Howisaccelerationdifferentfromspeedandvelocity?
9. Whatisfriction?
10. WhatisNewton’sFirstLaw?
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Forces&MotionPart1LabPractical
Teacher’sAnswerKey
Thisisyourchancetoseehowwellyourstudentshavepickeduponimportantkeyconcepts,andifthere
areanyholes.Yourstudentsalsowillbeworkingontheirhomeworkassignmentasyoudothistest
individuallywiththestudents.
Materials:
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Aball
LabPractical:AskthestudentNote:Answersgiveninitalics!
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StudentswilldemonstrateNewton’sThreeLawsofMotion.Handthestudentaballandaskthemto
teachyouthethreelawsofmotion.
Heretheyareforyourreference:
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Newton’sFirstLawofMotionstatesthatobjectsinmotionwilltendtostayinmotionunlesstheyareacted
uponbyanexternalforce.Aforceisapushorapull,likepullingawagonorpushingacar.Gravityisalsoa
force,butit’saone‐wayforcethatattractsthingstoeachanother.Studentthrowstheball,showingthatthe
ballwillgoinastraightlineuntilgravitypullsitdowntotheground.
Newton’sSecondLawofMotionisforobjectsexperiencingunbalancedforces.Thefirstlaw,usuallycalled
thelawofinertia,saysthatifalltheforcesactingonanobjectarebalancedthentheobjectisinequilibrium
anddoesnotaccelerate.Theobjectcaneitherbeatrestorinmotion,butnotaccelerating(theobjectcanbe
ataconstantspeedandtravelinginastraightline).Objectsnotinequilibriumexperienceunbalanced
forces,whichcausesthemtoaccelerate.Accelerationisachangeinspeed,direction,orboth.Students
throwtheball,demonstratingthattheforceofthethrow(F)canbecalculatedbyknowingtheball’smass(m)
andhowfasttheball’svelocityischanging(acceleration,ora).
Newton’sThirdLawofMotionstatesthatforeveryaction,thereisanequalandoppositereaction.This
meansthatforeveryinteraction,there’sapairofforcesactingontheobjects,whichareequalinsizeand
oppositeindirection.Studentsplaceaballonthedeskandpointouthowtheweightoftheballisbalancedby
thedeskpushingupontheball.Iftheballweremassiveenough,whenyoutosseditoutofacanoe,thecanoe
wouldtravelintheoppositedirection.
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TheScientificMethod
Oneoftheproblemskidshaveishowtoexperimentwiththeirgreatideaswithoutgettinglostinthejumbleof
resultdata.Sooftenstudentswillnothaveanyclearideasaboutwhatchangecausedwhicheffectintheirresults!
Studentsoftenhavetroublecommunicatingtheirideasinwaysthatnotonlymakesensebutarealsoacceptableby
sciencefairsorothertechnicalcompetitionsdesignedtogetkidsthinkinglikearealscientist.Anotherproblem
theyfaceisstrugglingtoapplythescientificmethodtotheirscienceprojectinschool,forscoutbadges,orany
othertypeofreportwhereit’simportantthatotherfolksknowandunderstandtheirwork.
Thescientificmethodiswidelyusedbyformalscienceacademiaaswellasscientificresearchers.Formostpeople,
it’sarealjumptofigureoutnotonlyhowtodoadecentproject,butalsohowtogoaboutformulatingascientific
questionandinvestigateanswersmethodicallylikearealscientist.Presentingtheresultsinameaningfulwayvia
“exhibitboard”…well,that’sjustmoreofastretchthatmostkidsjustaren’treadyfor.Thereisn’tawholelotof
usefulinformationavailableonhowtodoitbythepeoplewhoreallyknowhow.That’swhyI’mgoingtoshowyou
howusefulandeasyitis.
Thescientificmethodisaseriesof5stepsthatscientistsusetodotheirwork.But,honestly,youuseiteveryday,
too!ThefivestepsareObservation,Hypothesis,Test,CollectData,andReportResults.Thatsoundspretty
complicated,butdon’tworry,theyarejustbigwords.Letmetellyouwhatthesewordsmeanandhowtoplaywith
them.
Step1:Observationmeanswhatdoyousee,orhear,orsmell,orfeel?Whatisitthatyou’relookingat?Is
thatwhatitusuallydoes?Isthatwhatitdidlasttime?Whatwouldhappenifyoutriedsomethingdifferentwithit?
Observationisthebeginningofscientificresearch.Youhavetoseeortouchorhearsomethingbeforeyoucanstart
todostuffwithit,right?
Step2:Onceyouobservesomething,youcanthenformahypothesis.Allhypothesisreallymeansis
“guess.”Ahypothesisisaneducatedguess.Tonightatdinner,whensomeoneasksyou,“Doyouwantpeasor
carrots?”Say,“IhypothesizethatIwouldlikethecarrots.”Everyonewillthinkyou’reagenius!Basicallyyou’re
saying“IguessthatIwouldlikethecarrots.”Hypothesesaren’trightorwrong,theyarejustyourbestguess.
Step3:Toseeifyourguessiscorrect,youneedtodothenextstepinthescientificmethod:test.The
testisjustwhatitsoundslike:runningexperimentstoseewhetherornotyourhypothesisiscorrect.
Step4:Asyoudoyourtests,youneedtocollectdata.Thatmeanscollectingthenumbers,the
measurements,thetimes,thedataoftheexperiment.Onceyoucollectyourdata,youcantakealookatit,orin
otherwords,analyzeit.
Step5:Onceyouanalyzeyourdatayoucanreportyourresults.Thatbasicallymeanstellsomeone
aboutit.Youcanputyourdatainachartoragraphorjustshoutitfromtherooftops!
Here’sagreatwaytorememberthe5steps.Rememberthesentence“OrangeHipposTakeClassesRegularly.”The
firstletterineachwordofthatgoofysentenceisthesameasthefirstletterineachstepofthescientificmethod.
That’scalledamnemonicdevice.Makeupyourownmnemonicdevicestorememberallsortsofstuff.
“OK,sothat’swhatthewordsmean.HowdoIusethateveryday?”
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Well,I’mgladyouaskedthatquestion.Ifyouhadcerealforbreakfastthismorning,youdidthescientificmethod.
Onthetableyouhadabowlofcerealwithnomilkinit.Asyoulookedatyourdrycereal,youmadeanobservation,
“Ineedmilk!”Atthatpoint,youmadeahypothesis,“There’smilkinthefridge.”Youcan’tbesurethere’smilkin
thefridge.Someonemighthaveuseditup.Itmighthavegonebad.Aliensmayhaveusedittogasuptheirmilk‐
poweredspaceship.Youjustdon’tknow!Soyouhavetodoatest.
Whatwouldbeagoodtesttoseeifthereismilkinthefridge?Openthefridge!Nowonceyoumovetheweek‐old
spaghettiandthegreenJell‐O(atleastyouhopeit’sJell‐O)outoftheway,youcanseeifthereismilkornot.Soyou
collectyourdata.Thereismilkorthereisn’tmilk.Nowyoucanfinallyreportyourresults.Ifthereismilk,youcan
happilypouritonyourcereal.Ifthereisn’tanymilk,youreportyourresultsbyshouting,“Hey,Mom...Weneed
milk!”Scientificmethod,notsohardisit?
You’llgetfamiliarwiththescientificmethodbydoingtheactivitiesandexperimentsinyourlessons.Most
scientistsdon’tusethefullversionofthescientificmethod,whichactuallyincludesseveraladditionalstepstothe
onesI’veoutlinedabove.You’llfindthefull‐blownversionofthescientificmethodinthebackofthisbook.I’ve
includedacopyofaspecialprojectwhichwonfirstprizeatasciencefair.You’llfindthiscompleteprojectexplains
everydetailandhowitusesthefullversionofthescientificmethodsoyoucanseehowtodoitforyourselfonany
projectyouchoose.
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VocabularyfortheUnit
Accelerationistherateofchangeinvelocity.Inotherwords,howfastachangeinspeedand/orachangein
directionishappening.
Forceisapushorapull,likepullingawagonorpushingacar.
Aforcefieldisaninvisibleareaaroundanobjectwithinwhichthatobjectcancauseotherobjectstomove.Aforce
fieldcanbeattractive(pullanobjecttowardsit)orrepulsive(pushanobjectaway).
Thefourforcefieldsaregravity,magnetic,electric,andelectromagnetic.
Frictionistheforcebetweentwoobjectsincontactwithoneanother,duetotheelectromagneticforcesbetween
twoobjects.Frictionisnotnecessarilyduetotheroughnessoftheobjectsbutrathertochemicalbonds“sticking
andslipping”overoneanother.
Fourfundamentalforcesinorderofrelativestrengtharestrongnuclearforce,electromagnetism,weaknuclear
force,andgravity.
Gravityisaforcethatattractsthingstooneanother.Gravityacceleratesallthingsequally,whichmeansallthings
speedupthesameamountastheyfall.
Allbodies(objects)haveagravitationalfield.Thelargerabodyis,thegreaterthestrengthofthegravitational
field.
Theinversesquarelawstatesthattheclosersomethinggetstotheobjectcausingtheforce,thestrongertheforce
getsonthatobject.
Kineticfrictionisthefrictionbetweentwoobjectswhereatleastoneofthemismoving.
Massisameasureofhowmuchmatter(howmanyatoms)makeupanobject.
Thenetforceisthesumofalltheforcesonanobject.
Staticfrictionisthefrictionbetweentwoobjectsthatarenotmoving.
Terminalvelocitymeanssomethinghasspeedbutnoacceleration.Thisisnormallyusedwhensomethingfalling
cannotgainanymorespeedbecausetheairresistancepushingagainstthatsomethingisequaltotheforceof
gravitypullingdownonthatsomething.
Velocityhasbothaspeed(like55mph)andadirection(northeast).
Weightisameasureofhowmuchgravityispullingonanobject.
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