Download Guiding Question 2: What are the laws that govern electromagnetic

Name_________
Forces
Cycle 1 2013
Natural World Study Guide
“Gravity cannot be held responsible for people falling in love.” - Albert Einstein
Overview
A force is a push or pull that affects the motion of matter. Based on whether a force is balanced
or unbalanced, it can initiate motion, stop motion, or cause a change in the direction of motion.
There are four fundamental forces that occur in nature, also known as the universal forces:
gravity, electromagnetism, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear. These forces trace back fifteen
billion years, to the origin of the universe. They were there then and have been with us ever
since.
Gravity, nature’s most familiar force, is the attraction between two separate masses of matter.
The force of gravity operates constantly everywhere in the universe; it never rests. Gravity is the
weakest force of all, many million times weaker than the strong nuclear force, but without
gravity, all things in the universe would not be able to maintain their place and purpose.
Electromagnetism, a combination of electricity and magnetism, two intrinsically linked aspects
of the same force, binds and holds matter together. Like gravity, electromagnetism is a familiar
force, found everywhere in nature. Even the simple act of combing your hair creates an
electrical charge.
The strong nuclear force is centered in the nucleus of the atom, the building block of all matter.
It is the strongest force of all, responsible for the task of sustaining the integrity of the nucleus of
the atom. The atom is so small it requires highly specialized equipment to “see” it, and yet only
the strongest force of all can serve its needs.
The weak nuclear force is also centered in the nucleus of the atom. 100,000 million times
weaker than the force of electromagnetism, but stronger than the force of gravity, it serves to
help stabilize the nucleus of the atom.
Nuclear forces possess great potential, and it has only been within less than the last one hundred
years that nuclear scientists have been exploring the possibilities of their power. Nuclear forces
can be a valuable ally and a dangerous enemy at the same time.
As much as scientists know and understand about forces, there remains a great stretch of territory
to be explored and understood. In laboratories around the world they continue to research
answers to unsolved questions about forces and how they impact the world and the universe.
_____1. Read the overview with the class. IW: Complete the vocabulary
_____2. Advanced Work: See a teacher.
Name_________
Forces
Cycle 1 2013
Natural World Study Guide
Guiding Question 1: What are the laws that govern gravitational force and motion?
A force is a push or pull exerted by one object upon another. A force may cause an object to
start moving, stop moving, or change direction. Throwing, lifting, pushing and pulling are forces
you experience every day.
Motion occurs in response to the action of one or more forces. Sometimes forces change motion,
such as when a car brakes for a stop sign. Other times forces prevent motion, as when a hook
holds a picture in place. All of the motion we see in the world around us can be explained by a
few laws.
There are two kinds of motion: uniform and accelerated. Everything in the universe is either in
uniform or accelerated motion. Any object that experiences a change in motion - either speeds
up, slows down, or changes direction - is accelerating or decelerating (deceleration is negative
acceleration).
In the late 1500’s, Galileo Galilei, an Italian scientist, was the first modern scientist to show that
objects fall (or accelerate) at the same rate. Objects fall at uniformly increasing speed of 9.8
meters/second2 (32 feet/second2). This is “g”, acceleration due to gravity.
English scientist Sir Isaac Newton was the first person to clearly see how forces and motion were
related. Newton summarized his observations into three laws that we will study. In honor of his
work, the unit used to measure force is called a Newton.
Newton also hypothesized about gravity. He thought that the force that holds you on Earth is the
same force that keeps the moon orbiting Earth and the planets orbiting the sun. Newton’s
hypothesis was tested many times; it led to the discovery of the universal law of gravitation.
This law states that the amount of gravitational force between two objects depends on two
things: (1) the masses of the objects and (2) the distance between them.
_____3. Participate in the lesson on gravity, motion, and Newton’s Three Laws. Record
information in your graphic organizer.
_____4. Watch The Cog.
_____5. Participate in the lesson on Experiment Reports. Record the information on your
reference lab report sheet.
_____6. GW: Participate in all of the lab activities. Your group will rotate lab stations and have
15-20 minutes at each station.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Marble Madness and Pop a Rocket
Gravity Balance
Inertia Magic
Gravity Surprise
Tumbling Acrobat
_____7. GW: complete a lab report write up for the Inertia Magic Experiment.
Forces
Name_________
Cycle 1 2013
Natural World Study Guide
Guiding Question 2: What are the laws that govern electromagnetic forces?
Electricity and magnetism are two aspects of the same force. Eighteenth-century researchers like
Alessandro Volta and Andre Marie Ampere studied electrical and magnetic phenomena in the
laboratory, doing hundreds of experiments using the scientific method. They never dreamed
electricity might someday transform society. Today, we would say they were doing basic
research. The results of their experiments were summarized in laws. A Scottish physicist, James
Clerk Maxwell, brought these laws together in 1861. Maxwell’s four laws play the same role in
electromagnetism that Newton’s laws do for motion and gravity; they summarize everything
there is to know on the subject.
_____ 8. Participate in the lesson on electricity, magnetism, and electromagnetic force.
_____9. GW: Complete the lab experiments on Electricity and Magnetism.
a. Building a Galvanometer
b. Building an Electromagnet
c. Series and Parallel Circuits and Electrical Safety, pp. 56 - 67; Advantages of Parallel
and Series (Building Electric Circuits)
_____10. IW Complete a Lab Report for building an Electromagnet.
Putting it all together (Week 6)
____ 11. GW: Create a class rubric to be used to self evaluate your pod’s balloon racer.
____ 12. GW Project: Balloon racers (Newton's Third Law of Motion). The rules to this
activity are simple:
 The car must be powered by balloons.
 You can build the car out of anything.
 It must have at least three wheels. Wheels are defined as anything that is round and goes
around.
 The wheels cannot be wheels from a toy car. They must be made out of something that
was not originally meant to be used as wheels.
 The car may not leave the ground.
 The car must be capable of traveling at least 3 meters.