57

Lesson 57 of 84 ยท Forces

Experimentโญ 30 XPโšก Spark Lab

Springs and Elastic Energy (Part 2)

๐ŸงชLab Brief #57

Springs and Elastic Energy (Part 2).

๐ŸŽฏ Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

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

A force is a push or pull that can change an object's motion, shape, or direction. Forces are measured in Newtons and can act through contact or at a distance.

Key Words

  • attract
  • repel

Materials Needed

  • pencils
  • toy cars
  • ramps
  • string
  • weights
  • tape

Safety First

  • Be careful with scissors โ€” ask an adult for help if needed.

Steps

Step 1 โ€” Read

Read about Forces and write down three key facts.

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

Draw a detailed diagram of what you observe.

Step 4 โ€” Record

Write a conclusion: what did your results show? Did they match your prediction?

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

What does Newton's third law state?

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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Springs and Elastic Energy (Part 2) โ€” Forces | 4th Grade Science | LittleActivity | LittleActivity