39

Lesson 39 of 84 ยท Motion and Forces

Experimentโญ 30 XPโšก Spark Lab

Simple Machines: Inclined Planes (Part 2)

๐ŸงชLab Brief #39

Motion and Forces.

๐ŸŽฏ Your mission

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

โšก The twist

Energy never disappears โ€” it just hides somewhere else.

๐Ÿคฏ

Mind = Blown

โšก Static electricity is the same physics as lightning, just smaller.

๐Ÿ”ฎ

Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: which will move faster, and why?

What You'll Learn

Electromagnets are temporary magnets created by running electricity through a coiled wire. They can be turned on and off and are used in motors, speakers, and MRI machines.

Key Words

  • acceleration
  • velocity
  • force

Materials Needed

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

Safety First

  • Do not mix unknown chemicals together.
  • Tie back long hair before starting the experiment.
  • Protect your work surface with newspaper or plastic.

Steps

Step 1 โ€” Read

Read the introduction and identify the main idea of this lesson.

Step 2 โ€” Do

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.

Step 3 โ€” Observe

Observe what happens and describe it in detail.

Step 4 โ€” Record

Record your observations in your science journal with measurements and descriptions.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

Which simple machine is a ramp?

๐ŸŒ

Where you see this in real life

This is why airplanes can fly and why rockets reach space.

๐Ÿ†

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.

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”ฌShare 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 Motion and Forces for 8th Grade

Get the full Motion and Forces track as a printable PDF โ€” all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.

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