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Lesson 35 of 84 ยท Forces

Lessonโญ 30 XPโšก Spark Lab

Gravity: The Force That Pulls (Part 2)

๐ŸงชLab Brief #35

Gravity: The Force That Pulls (Part 2).

๐ŸŽฏ Your mission

Learn the rule. Then catch nature using it.

โšก The twist

The opposite of what you expect is often what happens.

๐Ÿคฏ

Mind = Blown

๐ŸŽข You feel weightless on a roller coaster because you and the seat are falling at the same speed.

๐Ÿ”ฎ

Make a hypothesis first

Predict: what happens if you double the force?

What You'll Learn

Gravity is the force that pulls objects toward each other. On Earth, gravity pulls everything toward the center of the planet, giving objects their weight.

Key Words

  • friction
  • inertia
  • speed

Steps

Step 1 โ€” Read

Review the background information on Forces before starting.

Step 2 โ€” Do

Construct a catapult from popsicle sticks and rubber bands. Launch a marshmallow from different angles and measure the distance. Find the angle that gives the longest launch.

Step 3 โ€” Observe

Look for patterns in your observations.

Step 4 โ€” Record

Make a graph or chart showing your results.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

What causes an object to accelerate?

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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