Lesson 6 of 6 · Forces and Motion

Experiment⭐ 30 XP⚡ Spark Lab

Weight Changes, Mass Does Not

🧪Lab Brief #6

Forces and Motion.

🎯 Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

⚡ The twist

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

🤯

Mind = Blown

🔥 A bolt of lightning is 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun.

🔮

Make a hypothesis first

Guess: where does the energy go?

What You'll Learn

Mass is how much stuff there is and never changes. Weight is the pull of gravity on that mass, so the same lunchbox weighs less on the Moon and would weigh more on Jupiter, while its mass stays exactly the same.

Key Words

Tap a word to see its definition.

Materials Needed

balance
newton meter
assorted objects

Safety First

Support hanging masses so they cannot drop onto feet.

Steps

Step 1 — Read

Read the explanation above and note the two key terms before you start.

Step 2 — Do

Weigh five objects on a balance in grams and on a newton meter in newtons. Tabulate both, then calculate what each would weigh on the Moon at one sixth of Earth's gravity.

Step 3 — Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 — Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 2

On the Moon, an object's mass is:

How sure are you going to be?😐 maybe

🌍

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

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