Lesson 16 of 84 · Forces
Experiment⭐ 30 XP⚡ Spark LabMomentum and Collisions
Momentum and Collisions.
🎯 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
Momentum is mass times velocity. A heavy truck moving slowly can have the same momentum as a light car moving fast. Momentum is conserved in collisions.
Key Words
- kinetic
- potential
- work
Materials Needed
- rubber bands
- blocks
- spring scale
- stopwatch
- pencils
- toy cars
Safety First
- Tie back long hair before starting the experiment.
Steps
Read about Forces and write down three key facts.
Test Newton's Third Law: blow up a balloon, attach it to a straw on a string, and release. Measure how far it travels with different amounts of air.
Watch carefully for any changes and note the time.
Create a data table to organize your measurements.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What do magnets have?
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.
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