Speed, Velocity, and Acceleration

Lab Brief #2

🎯 Your mission

Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).

⚡ The twist

The opposite of what you expect is often what happens.

What you'll learn

Speed measures how fast an object moves (distance divided by time). Velocity includes both speed and direction. An object changing direction is accelerating even at constant speed.

Key words

acceleration
How quickly an object speeds up, slows down, or changes direction.
velocity
The speed of something moving in a certain direction.

Make a hypothesis first

Predict: what happens if you double the force?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

rubber bands

⚠️ Safety first

Have an adult check your set-up before you start, and tidy everything away afterwards.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

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

Step 2 of 4 · 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 of 4 · Observe

Note any unexpected results and think about why they happened.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Share your findings with the class or a partner and discuss what you learned.

Question 1 of 3

What is velocity?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 3

What type of energy does a moving object have?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 3 of 3

What does friction do?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

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

Nice work!

You got 0 of 3 right.

Next: What Counts as Work?All lessons

🎯

Next Smart Experiment

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✨ More to explore

🌍 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 it 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.”

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Speed, Velocity, and Acceleration

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