Lesson 26 of 30 · Forces

Experiment⭐ 30 XP⚡ Spark Lab

The Wedge Machine

🧪Lab Brief #26

The Wedge Machine.

🎯 Your mission

Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.

⚡ The twist

Speed isn't the same as force. Don't mix them up.

🤯

Mind = Blown

⚡ Static electricity is the same physics as lightning, just smaller.

🔮

Make a hypothesis first

Guess: where does the energy go?

What You'll Learn

A wedge is a simple machine shaped like a triangle. A doorstop is a wedge!

Key Words

Tap a word to see its definition.

Materials Needed

ruler
pencils

Safety First

Have an adult check your set-up before you start, and tidy everything away afterwards.

Steps

Step 1 — Read

Look at the new words. Can you say each one?

Step 2 — Do

Build a simple lever with a ruler and pencil. Try lifting objects on one end by pushing the other.

Step 3 — Observe

Use your senses to describe what you notice.

Step 4 — Record

Write 1-2 sentences about what happened.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 2

Which simple machine is a ramp?

How sure are you going to be?😐 maybe

🌍

Where you see this in real life

This is why airplanes can fly and why rockets reach space.

🏆

Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

This week, find one thing in your house that turns one kind of energy into another.

👨‍👩‍👧

For the dinner table

“Show me something at home that uses this kind of energy.”

🎯

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

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Ready?