Lesson 19 of 84 · Forces
Experiment⭐ 30 XP⚡ Spark LabSpeed and Direction
Speed and Direction.
🎯 Your mission
Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.
⚡ The twist
The opposite of what you expect is often what happens.
Mind = Blown
🎢 You feel weightless on a roller coaster because you and the seat are falling at the same speed.
Make a hypothesis first
Predict: what happens if you double the force?
What You'll Learn
A lever is a simple machine. A seesaw is a lever—push down on one end and the other goes up!
Key Words
- pulley
- wheel
- energy
Materials Needed
- tape
- ruler
- cardboard
Safety First
- Be careful with scissors — ask an adult for help if needed.
Steps
Look at the picture and read the labels.
Drop a feather and a coin at the same time from the same height. Which hits the ground first?
Draw a picture of what you observe.
Share your results with a partner.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3How can you make something move?
Where you see this in real life
You use this every time you flip a light switch, ride a bike, or kick a ball.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Time how long a small ball rolls down something, then change the slope and try again.
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.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Checkout complete lesson on Forces for 2nd Grade
Get the full Forces track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.