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Lesson 33 of 84 ยท Forces

Lessonโญ 30 XPโšก Spark Lab

Newton's Second Law: Force and Acceleration (Part 2)

๐ŸงชLab Brief #33

Newton's Second Law: Force and Acceleration (Part 2).

๐ŸŽฏ Your mission

Understand the idea. Then look for it everywhere.

โšก The twist

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

๐Ÿคฏ

Mind = Blown

๐Ÿ”ฅ A bolt of lightning is 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun.

๐Ÿ”ฎ

Make a hypothesis first

Guess: where does the energy go?

What You'll Learn

Newton's second law says that force equals mass times acceleration (F = ma). A heavier object needs more force to accelerate at the same rate as a lighter one.

Key Words

  • gravity
  • friction

Steps

Step 1 โ€” Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 โ€” Do

Test friction: pull a weighted box across 4 surfaces (carpet, tile, sandpaper, foil). Use a spring scale to measure the force needed for each.

Step 3 โ€” Observe

Watch carefully for any changes and note the time.

Step 4 โ€” Record

Create a data table to organize your measurements.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

What unit is force measured in?

๐ŸŒ

Where you see this in real life

You use this every time you flip a light switch, ride a bike, or kick a ball.

๐Ÿ†

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.

๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘ง

For the dinner table

โ€œShow me something at home that uses this kind of energy.โ€

๐ŸŽฏ

Next Smart Experiment

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

๐Ÿ’งShare card

Share this experiment

Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.

๐Ÿ–จ๏ธ

Checkout complete lesson on Forces for 4th Grade

Get the full Forces track as a printable PDF โ€” all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.

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Newton's Second Law: Force and Acceleration (Part 2) โ€” Forces | 4th Grade Science | LittleActivity | LittleActivity