Lesson 7 of 84 · Forces
Experiment⭐ 30 XP⚡ Spark LabSimple Machines: Pulleys
Simple Machines: Pulleys.
🎯 Your mission
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
⚡ The twist
Energy never disappears — it just hides somewhere else.
Mind = Blown
🎢 You feel weightless on a roller coaster because you and the seat are falling at the same speed.
Make a hypothesis first
Before you start: which will move faster, and why?
What You'll Learn
Electricity flows through circuits. A simple circuit needs a power source, a conductor (wire), and a load (like a light bulb). Breaking the circuit stops the flow of electricity.
Key Words
- momentum
- acceleration
- velocity
Materials Needed
- paper clips
- rubber bands
- blocks
- spring scale
- stopwatch
- pencils
Safety First
- Wear safety goggles when mixing liquids.
- Wash hands after handling materials.
- Be careful with scissors — ask an adult for help if needed.
Steps
Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.
Create a Rube Goldberg machine with at least 5 steps that demonstrates energy transfer from one form to another.
Note any unexpected results and think about why they happened.
Share your findings with the class or a partner and discuss what you learned.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What is inertia?
Where you see this in real life
This is why airplanes can fly and why rockets reach space.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
This week, find one thing in your house that turns one kind of energy into another.
For the dinner table
“Show me something at home that uses this kind of energy.”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Checkout complete lesson on Forces for 7th Grade
Get the full Forces track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.